Dying To Remember
by Lynbrin
Summary: Sequel to Forgetting To Remember (Must read first)... Elijah had been in love before, or so he told himself, but never anything like what he had with HER. His beautiful English rose, his bright light, his fiancé. But then she was taken from him… After searching for over 500 years he had all but given up, until a certain phone call from Mystic Falls, "We found her"…
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Come on Elena we need this!" I whined as I dragged her to the car as she dragged her feet on the walkway from the boarding house, "Plus, you already agreed!" I reminded her.

"I changed my mind Care… after everything that has happened-" she said in a low voice.

"It's because of everything that has happened that we need to do this! It's a tradition and I will not sit and let it pass by!" and I saw a small grin spread across her features at my familiar dramatics, but I wasn't wrong. Every senior class snuck into the school at night at the beginning of the year to set up pranks for the following morning; it was an expected and tolerated tradition… and this year would top all the rest.

"It just… I don't know. It doesn't feel right without Stefan…" she said as her expression fell again and I had to suppress the sigh that built up within me. I noticed that over the summer, with Stefan gone with the notorious Klaus, who I had yet to even meet, Elena had been spending quite a bit of time with Damon. But I couldn't really blame her because I had been spending more and more time with Tyler, helping him on full moons and through his transitions, as well as just enjoying being his girlfriend.

"Elena… I get that you're upset about Stefan leaving… but our lives can't stop. We need to keep on living so that Stefan has something to come home to" I smiled at her, and my sympathy grew as her chin trembled. She loved Stefan, he was her epic love, but he had made it very clear that he needed to do this thing with Klaus and that he doesn't want to be with her anymore; although I was pretty sure that was for her protection. "Tyler and Jeremy went all the way to Rustville to buy supplies and the text has already gone out… and it'll be fun! I promise to let you brood tomorrow, and I'll even bring the ice cream" I wiggled my eyebrows at her and she finally cracked a smile and nodded, rolling her eyes in submission. I happily resumed pulling her down the path and into the car.

The ride to Bonnie's house was quiet. I gave Elena her space to get into the right mindset for tonight as I mentally ran through a checklist in my head of things that still need to be bought or prepared ahead of time. Did I write superglue on the list for Tyler?... And what if they didn't get enough plastic cups? I specifically wrote 700, but could that have looked like 100? And then there's the dominos and clothespin traps… and the balloons. And then there was the issue of Matt not answering any of my calls and texts over the last two days. He seemed to be struggling, and the more me and Tyler tried to help the more distant he got.

"Earth to Caroline" Elena said as she waved her hand in front of my face and I snapped back to the present.

"Are we going in or…" she gestured to the left and I noticed that we had pulled up in front of Bonnies house and we were just sitting in the car. Probably not the safest way to drive…

"Oh god… I'm sorry I just have a million things on my mind" I laughed and we moved to exit the car and walk up the front path. Elena kept shooting me strange glances but I just ignored her… she didn't know what it was like to always be checking things off of mental lists and preparing and volunteering for a hundred things a week. Bonnie answered the door with a smile and ushered us inside to a world of chaos. Tyler and three of his teammates were in the living room blowing up balloons, and he grinned at me as he tied his balloon, making my heart skip a beat. A few of the cheerleaders were in the dining room organizing task lists and sectioning off areas of the school and I smiled as other classmates filed around busy with other tasks. I waved to Tyler as I walked across the entryway and into the dining room to look over the other cheerleader's plans. Everything seemed to be in order and surprisingly well organized, except…

"Pamela, the toilet paper is for the pool area, to be flung across and hung from all of those raptors…" and she nodded along and scribbled into her notebook, "And Dana, the balloons are for the football players to tie up with the netting in the cafeteria; the gym will be filled with the cups of water" and she too started scribbling into her own notebook. The rest of the details looked to be in order and I threw myself into the rest of the planning as the sun finally set, and then there was nothing to do but wait. As evening turned into night the pizza was ordered and the shots were taken with toasts to the best senior year ever… and then finally it was almost late enough to pack the cars and head to the school.

I excused myself from the group and headed down the hall to the bathroom. Everyone was excited and happy and some were even a bit tipsy, I shook my head and smirked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I eagerly looked down at it, expecting to see Matt's face, but it was my mom's.

"Hey mom, what's up?"

"Hey honey, I just wanted to call and check in since I'll be at the station all night" her tired voice said over the line.

"Everything is fine. I'm at the boarding house with Elena and Bonnie right now and-" but I cringed as a loud cheer and laughter could be heard through the door. Even though prank night was tolerated I didn't want to broadcast to the sheriff of the town that it was happening tonight.

"What was that?"

"The TV, Damon refuses to turn it down!" I huffed in annoyance and my mother chuckled.

"That sounds like him. Well alright Caroline, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning sweetheart"

"Alright mom, love you"

"Love you too" and the call ended. I immediately dialed Matt's number for the fifth time that day and again it went straight to voicemail… I sighed in frustration. After washing my hands and fluffing my hair I exited the bathroom, closing the door behind me, as I felt strong arms come around my waist.

"Feel like heading back into that bathroom?" Tyler's deep voice asked, his breath brushing over my ear, and I grinned as I quickly spun in his arms to face him.

"And why would I want to do that?"

"Because it feels like I haven't been inside you in weeks!" he groaned as he started to kiss my neck, and I felt that familiar bubble of annoyance grow in my chest.

"Tyler, stop…" I sighed as I pushed against his chest. We had sex three days ago, and I felt like every conversation with him since then had been about a redo… most conversations actually.

"What Care!" he said angrily as he finally stepped back, but he didn't remove his hands from my waist.

"I feel like all we ever talk about now is sex Tyler! I'm sick of you always turning every conversation around to that!" I said angrily, finally getting it off my chest after weeks of holding it in.

"Well I'm sorry that I love my girlfriend and I just want to show her that!"

"That's such bullshit Tyler" I sighed and I move to walk around him but he grabs my arm tightly, wrenching a gasp from me. "What the hell Tyler"

"I'm sorry okay Care… I don't mean to make it seem like sex is all that I think about. It's just that I'm still so new to being a werewolf, with all the hormones. And I thought that you felt them too-"

"I do Tyler, I just have the ability to let other things occupy my mind now and again. Trust me, vampire emotions are stronger than anything I have ever felt and it took me a while to get a handle on them, but I did, and so can you"

"Your right. I'll make more of an effort… Do you forgive me?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in question and I couldn't help the small smile that spread over my face at his comical expression. I did care about Tyler, and I knew how much he struggled with the heightened emotions of being a supernatural… and of course I didn't want to ruin tonight.

"Of course I do" and he grinned in return and swooped down to kiss me deeply before releasing me to put his arm over my shoulder and we made our way back to our classmates.

Less than an hour later we were all loading everything into the cars and were driving to the back of the school. I fished out the set of master keys I had compelled off of the janitor and unlocked the cafeteria doors and then everyone was off on their missions. Tyler and the rest of the guys started tying the netting to the ceiling of the cafeteria as everyone continued to carry supplies into the school under them. I lost track of everyone as they were busy with their tasks, but I quickly found Elena and Bonnie and we set to work setting up the clothespin traps in all of the freshman homerooms. After another hour Tyler came to join us. We kept as many lights off as possible, mostly trying to navigate all of the traps and halls with flashlights… and then the door opened to the room that we were working in and a few of the traps snapped up.

"Oh come on! Seriously! Do you know how long it took us to set all of these up?" I exclaim as Matt turned on the light to the classroom, looking extremely surprised and very sweaty.

"Forgot about senior prank night, huh?" Tyler asked from behind me, where he leaned against the wall.

"Apparently…" Matt said as he looked around the floor at all of the traps

"How could you forget? We've only been waiting for this since like freshman year" I ask in indignation.

"Yea if I'm doing this, then you're doing this" Elena said from her seat on a desk, gesturing between her and Matt with a grin.

"I'm kind of surprised that ANY of you are doing this…" and Tyler threw his hands up in annoyance with Matt's statement, having heard my many ramblings about keeping with human traditions and milestones.

"Caroline's making us" Bonnie said from her seat on the desk beside Elena

"We are seniors…" I begin calmly, "And these are the memories that will stay with us forever and if we don't make then now then-"

"What's the point of it all" Elena finished my sentence with another grin.

"Go ahead make fun, I don't care" I say with a huff

"You guys are all lame and I've got 2 more classrooms to prank" Tyler said as he walked past us and out of the room, and I gestured to him in triumph, at least someone was in the pranking spirit. And then Elena hopped off of her desk and made her own way to the door, and I was worried she was throwing in the towel…

"Hey where are you going?" Bonnie asked

"To superglue Alaric's desk shut… I'm making memories" she grinned over her shoulder at us and skipped into the hallway and out of sight

"I love you!" I laughed as I called after her. Sometime later Bonnie disappeared with Matt with the promise to put him to work, so I went around to the different areas of the school to make sure everything was being done. The gym was slowly filling with cups of water, the stairways had been blocked off with caution tape, the cafeteria was done with the net system rigged to the main entrance, the teachers toilets were being superglued shut… but nobody had taken care of the door handles yet! So that is what I found myself doing, working in a slightly different wing of the school as I poured a glob of honey onto each of the classroom door handles. I was just about done with my first container of honey when I felt arms come around me and a kiss against my hair and I knew it was Tyler.

"Do you think Matts going to be ok?" I asked over my shoulder, having been unable to get his unhappy expression out of my head from earlier.

"I'm kissing you and you're wondering about your ex-boyfriend?" Tyler asked with an annoyed sigh, and I turned around to look at him.

"I am asking if you think that OUR friend, who we both love, is going to be ok" and his expression turned serious as he considered my question.

"I think he probably doesn't have a lot of people to talk to anymore" Tyler answered seriously, "I think he's struggling more than he lets on… I think that I love how big your heart is" he smiled as he leaned toward me a bit.

"I just want this school year to be great, you know? Everyone to be happy. Even in the midst of all of the unhappy bits" I frowned

"I'm happy" Tyler said with a small smile, breaking out my own smile in return and I bent forward and laid my lips against his. The kiss quickly heated up as he backed me into a nearby wall. I closed my eyes as his hands traveled up my waist to cup my face with his fingers tangled in my hair, and I ran my hands up to rest on his muscular shoulders. I brushed my body lightly against his and he returned the favor by crushing his hips against mine as he secured me tighter against the wall. I grinned against his lips and blurred our positions, so that I was the one pushing him against the wall. He smirked down at me and ran his hands from my shoulders, down my sides and around to squeeze my rear.

"I'm stronger" I teased

"I'm bigger" he teased right back as he pulled my body flush against his, grinding his hips against mine as he continued kissing me. I quickly got more and more turned on as his lips traveled from my lips down to my neck and I sighed… but then Tyler's head shot up as we heard a door close nearby, and we focused our hearing for the noise of an approaching classmate. After a moment of hearing nothing I turned my attention back to him and laid a light kiss against his lips, smiling contently.

"Should we-" Tyler began to ask, but then stopped short as his eyes flicked to something over my shoulder. I didn't even have time to wonder or look around before I heard a loud crack and everything went black…

 **I'm sorry it took me so long to start the sequel! I rewrote this chapter like 4 times, never fully satisfied with how I was portraying the characters, especially Caroline. It's hard going from my own version of her, to how the show portrays her… at least at first. Obviously I am going to change the plot of the story and even gradually change Caroline and a few of the other characters to suit my own diabolical needs, but I wanted to start out authentic TVD.**

 **Let me know what you think and if you have plot ideas that you would like to see!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	2. Transitions

Chapter 2:

I hated having my neck snapped! Waking up in an instant panic, not remembering what happened, only to be reminded by the ache that radiated down my spine. I tried not to show that I had regained consciousness. I let my senses stretch outward, trying to gain as much awareness of my surroundings as I could before revealing myself.

I could feel the coldness around me so I knew I had to be in some type of cellar. Luckily the coldness and the stone floor beneath me didn't really have any effect on me. I could also hear the even tempo of breathing somewhere nearby so I knew I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. I was definitely in a cellar, although it was more like a cell. It was a square room with no windows and only one door, which I could only assume was locked.

The breathing must be coming from right outside the door, and judging from the lack of a heartbeat I could guess my guard was also a Vampire. I looked more closely at the cell I was trapped in, and there were many different sets of chains hanging from one of the walls, to which I was thankfully not attached to. My cell was also surprisingly clean and sterile looking.

I tried to hear beyond the breathing outside of my cell. I could hear the murmuring of voices in the distance, but I couldn't make out any of the words. The only other thing that was discernable was the constant dripping of a leaky faucet somewhere in the vicinity.

I started to think about the last thing I could remember. I remember sneaking into the school with all of my friends to set up for the senior prank day. I had been dripping honey onto the classroom doorknobs with Tyler when someone had grabbed me from behind. I remember feeling very panicked and scared, but that's as far as my memory would go.

"Gahh" I sighed in frustration. The not knowing was killing me!

I didn't even know how long I'd been here or if anyone was looking for me. I had never been a patient person so all of this waiting was killing me… After hours of waiting I finally heard what sounded like a front door opening and closing. I followed the sounds of the footsteps above me, until I heard them come down the stairs into the cellar. My muscles tensed up, ready for a fight or torture, either way I was ready.

"Has she said anything?" a male voice asked outside of my door

"No, sir. A few hours ago there was a sigh but no talking" another male voice answered

"Hmm. Very well, you're dismissed for the evening" the first voice said, and I could detect some kind of an accent through the door.

I could hear a lock in the door turning, and I don't know what made me do it, but I pounced. As soon as the door slid open I jumped at my jailor with everything I had, fangs out and everything. And it was like hitting a concrete wall. It was as if I was no more than a speck of dust on his jacket. He caught me in midair, hands leaving bruises on my upper arms where they grasped me. The blue of his eyes met the snarling red of mine with a look of pure surprise. He definitely hadn't expected me to attack him that much was clear.

After his surprise wore off, a smug smirk graced his features, which just further infuriated me. I started struggling against his hold, using my nails and legs to attack any inch of him I could reach. He ended up throwing me to the ground and quickly straddling me to stop me from regaining my footing. He trapped my hands above my head and used his legs to still mine, then I was truly stuck.

"Are you quite done love?" he asked, still smirking down at me and leaning close enough that I could feel his breath on the side of my neck

"No I am not quite done, why the hell am I here?" I yell back

"You are here because I needed leverage," he answered, "And I do love blondes". I manage to shoot him my most disgusted look before losing my vampire features.

"Get off" I spit

"Are you going to behave?" he asked, and at my nod he takes his time slowly letting me go. I vamp speed back to a standing position directly in front of him.

"Who do you need leverage against exactly" I asked genuinely curious

"All of your little friends back at the school, especially Stefan and Elena. That's all you need to know for now"

"Hmph, seems like a really detailed and well thought out plan" I say sarcastically

"Well I'm glad you approve love" he said taking a step closer to me with a look of amusement in his eyes. Then we both hear the front door open again and a female voice shouting "Klauuuuuuus!"

I looked at him in horror when I realized who it was that kidnapped me. The guy that had been threatening my friend Elena, the Big Bad himself, is the one who I just tried to attack and was now antagonizing. He watched my features as I realized who he was, which just brought out a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"Ah I see my name does mean something to you. Good. Maybe now you will show the proper respect and behave yourself"

"I wouldn't hold your breath" I replied with a snarl

We could then hear a pair of high heeled boots stomping down the cellar stairs.

"Klaus I can hear you down here arguing with someone, I'm just surprised she isn't dead yet" the female voice mused as she approached the room we were standing in

"Hello sister, you're just in time to meet our guest" he said looking back at me

Then I could see a blonde enter my view over Klaus's shoulder. She had long straight blonde hair and blue eyes that widened in shock when she saw my face.

"Oh my god Klaus, how did you find her?" she asked breathlessly

"What are you talking about? She was at the high school last night when we arrived" he looked at her curiously, obviously as confused as I was

"Oh I never saw her face straight on, I never knew…" she trailed off

"What the hell is going on?" I ask getting very annoyed to not know what was going on again

"We need to call Elijah immediately Klaus!"

"Why on Earth do we need to do that?"

"Because that's Caroline" she answered exasperated that he clearly wasn't understanding her, I guess that means we were in the same boat.

"Yes I am aware of her name Rebecca. She is Stefan's best friend and is also a member of the wonder gang protecting the Doppelgänger."

"That's not all she is" she said looking right at me, "do you remember me Caroline?"

"No. Am I supposed to?" she looked discouraged at my answer. Then she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and started dialing. She brought the phone to her ear and waited for an answer.

"Elijah? Yes, you need to come to Mystic Falls immediately," she paused while she looked at me again, "We found her".

She walked over to me and handed me the phone, "He wants to speak to you"

My confusion level had skyrocketed while this bizarre exchange had been going on, so it was pure shock that made me take the phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?" I whispered into the phone

"Caroline?" and for some reason the deep male voice on the phone sent shivers up my spine and touched a whisper of a memory in the very back of my mind.

There was only one problem, I had no idea who I was talking too…

"Yea…?" I said back hesitantly.

"Oh my god…" the deep voice spoke again, this time sounding a bit breathless, and I found my own breathing speeding up at the sound of his voice. After a moment without me saying anything he spoke again, "Stay where you are, I'm coming home" and then the line went dead. I took the phone away from my ear and looked down at it in confusion before bringing my eyes back up to the blonde.

"What-?" I say in confusion as I hold out her phone to her.

"You were the one in the hallway kissing Tyler Lockwood?" the blonde asked me, her expression unreadable.

"Yes… he's my boyfriend. I'm assuming it was you that snapped my neck" I said, a bit of anger leaking into my voice.

"I'm afraid that was my fault love, you see, I needed to have a word with your little boyfriend" Klaus said from beside us as he leaned back against the wall.

"What? Why!" I asked, my tone getting a bit shrill with worry.

"Never mind that Caroline! What's important is where the hell you have been?" the blonde grabbed my attention again.

"What the hell are you talking about? I've never left Mystic Falls!"

"Oh well that's a shame…" Klaus mumbled from his spot on the wall as he smirked at me.

"Caroline Forbes?" she asked

"Yes…"

"Died at 17?"

"How did you know that?"

"Born April 3rd?"

"No… actually my birthday is in October" and that seemed to stump her.

"Fine… who turned you?"

"Katherine Pierce…" I answered, not sure why I was being put through an inquisition.

"What?... She's the one that kidnapped you?"

"No… she smothered me with a pillow while I was in the hospital to send a message to Damon and Stefan Salvatore… But, what's with all the questions?"

"I'm just trying to figure out what happened to you Caroline!"

"Look… Klaus's sister, nothing happened to me! I was turned last year by Katherine… I was almost used in that psycho's sacrifice," and I gestured to Klaus and his smirk deepened, "I mean besides that I'm… boring…" I admitted pathetically, irritated that I had been forced to reveal so much information about myself.

"On the contrary love, you're getting more interesting by the minute" Klaus said quietly and I shot him a dirty look.

"Oh this is ridiculous…" the blonde vampire sighed and she walked right up to me and grabbed the back of my neck, and for a horrible moment I thought she was going to kiss me, but then her pupils dilated. "Tell me the truth, what happened to you?" and a surge of white hot fury shot through me. How dare she think she can just waltz right up to me and try to compel me! To think that she could take my free will! I snarled at her and didn't hesitate as I snapped her neck and watched her crumple in front me. I expected immediate retribution from Klaus but he continued to lean against the wall, and I tensed my muscles in preparation as I look over at him, but he was wearing a genuinely amused smile on his face, and his eyes raised to mine with a strange expression on his face.

"Like I said love, more interesting by the minute… However that doesn't-" but he was interrupted by a crashing sound coming from upstairs. Klaus pushed away from the wall and blurred up the stairs… leaving the cell door unlocked and open! I hurried toward it and looked around for the stairs, but before I get halfway up, a body appeared at the top, blocking the light.

"Tyler!" I say happily, relief seeping through my body as I recognized his profile and rush up the remaining steps to wrap my arms around him… but as I laid my head against his chest something felt a bit off, maybe his smell?

"Come on!" He said after briefly kissing me, "Damon and Stefan are distracting Klaus with Bonnie's help. Elena is waiting in a car outside to take you back to the boarding house" and then he blurred me to the front door… He blurred me… he- doesn't have that ability… I looked at him in complete shock, a million questions running across my mind and face.

"I love you and I will explain everything to you later I promise" and he kissed me again before pushing me through the open front door, just as another giant crash sounded from somewhere in the house. I rushed down the front walk way to the car idling at the bottom of the driveway and slid inside to find a very anxious Elena.

"What's going on in there? Is Stefan alright? And what about Bonnie? But wait Care, how are you? What happened? I-" she said, mouth going a mile a minute as her tone got higher and higher.

"Elena breathe! Let's get out of here and I'll tell you everything" I said, and with that she was off, speeding down the street and back to the other side of town to the boarding house. We ran from the car through the safety of the front door at human speed. I walked right to bar in the living and poured a splash of whatever I could find first and I tipped it back, feeling the warmth return to my stomach and limbs slowly and I took a steadying breath before turning back to Elena.

"I couldn't see what was going on in the house because Tyler rushed me to the front door and pushed me out, but I am assuming they will be fine. As to last night, I was in the west wing of the school with Tyler putting honey on doorknobs when suddenly there was just darkness… so I truly have no clue what is going on, care to fill in some of the blanks?" and I was immediately put off by her desperate expression. "What Elena? Whatever it is I can take it…" but could I?

"Well… obviously the Originals were in the school last night…"

"So Klaus knows that your alive… that's problematic. Did he try and kill you or something?"

"At first… He tried to compel Stefan to bite me but he didn't know that Stefan had been taking the vervain that we gave him at the end of the summer. So Stefan did bite me, but he tried to be gentle and Klaus bought it… and then when Bonnie finally found the way to help Tyler Klaus realized that he needed my blood to make Hybrids"  
"What do you mean? Why did Bonnie need to help Tyler?" I asked as my dread grew the more Elena revealed.

"Caroline… I- I don't know if I should be the one to tell you…"

"Tell me Elena!"

"After Klaus snapped your neck he dragged Tyler into the classroom that Rebekah had dragged me into… He made Tyler d-drink his blood… and then he snapped his neck and-" and I gasped, despair seeping into my bones as I realized what that meant.

"Oh my god… No, no no no-" I dropped my head into my hands.

"Care! He's fine! Well…"

"What do you mean he's fine? You said Stefan told you that any werewolf that was forced to drink his blood and killed always died during their transition!"

"That's because Klaus didn't know that he needed my blood to complete the transition… he gave it to Tyler as an experiment and… it worked…" and I had trouble wrapping my head around what she was saying.

"Are you telling me…" I said, my voice deathly quiet, "that Tyler is now a h-hybrid?" and Elena simply nodded. I didn't know how to feel. The first obvious emotion was relief that Tyler was alive and safe, but then so many questions entered my head about what that would mean that the relief was short lived. We sat in silence for a while, both of us lost in thought, until Elena got up and went to the bar to pour her own drink.

"What happened with Klaus after he took you?" she asked quietly as she returned to her seat across from me.

"I woke up in like a basement dungeon or something… and I don't know how long I waited until he decided to come down and taunt me"

"We tried to stop him from taking you Care! But he snapped Damon's neck and just picked you up over his shoulder and started walking down the hall… he said you were going to be his leverage against any revenge plots…"

"Yea he told me the same thing… Of course that was after I attacked him-"

"You attacked Klaus!" she exclaimed

"Well yea Lena… I wasn't just going to sit pretty in a dungeon, when he unlocked the door I attacked him… not that it did much. That fucker is strong"

"I'm honestly surprised you're still alive Care…"

"Well… something weird happened…"  
What? What did he do to you?" panic evident in her voice again.

"He didn't do anything Lena. But his sister- you said her name was Rebekah? Ok Rebekah came down the stairs to see who he was arguing with but then once she saw me… I don't know she kind of freaked out."

"Why?"

"She seemed to think that she recognized me from somewhere? Or that I was someone else… But she did keep calling me by my name…"

"What did she say exactly?"  
"She kept asking where I had been, and who had taken me, and if I remembered her… but I had no clue what she was talking about!" and I got up to start pacing the carpet, too confused to sit. "And then she called Elijah…"

"Elijah! Why?" Elena said, also standing up, shock, and another emotion I couldn't name, all over her face.

"I don't know Elena, I don't know anything that went on in that dungeon!... But he told me to stay where I was… and that he was coming home…"

"This is good! Elijah can help us! He can-"

"Lena this is the same guy that betrayed us to Klaus at the sacrifice! He can't be trusted!"

"He's honorable Caroline… trust me, I know him"

"Great, if you know him so well then why did he tell me stay where I was and that he was coming home…?" and I raised my eyebrows waiting for her answer, but she didn't have one.

"I- I don't know Care…" she admitted. I opened my mouth to reply when I heard voices outside the door and I eagerly turned just as it slammed open.

But I wasn't prepared to see Stefan, unconscious and slumped over Damon's shoulder and Damon, covered in blood and furious… or Tyler trying to come through the door after them, apologies streaming out of his mouth, but he was unable to cross the threshold.

"Ughh… Elena can you invite me in please!" he growled from the doorway and Elena made her way to the hall.

"Of course Ty, c-"

"No! Do not let him in Elena!" Damon growled from the living room as he lowered Stefan onto the couch.

"Why the hell not?" I asked angrily

"Because, your idiotic boyfriend stopped Stefan from sticking a very large piece of wood inside Klaus's very small heart-"

"I said I was sorry Damon!" Tyler sighed as he leaned against the side of the doorway, arms crossed and brow furrowed.

"Which is fucking fantastic Lockwood, but that doesn't explain why it happened?" Damon asked, mimicking Tyler's stance.

"I don't know why I defended him ok!... I just saw Stefan rushing at him and I couldn't control it… I had to stop him" he shrugged his shoulders, and his expression fell.

"Wait… you defended Klaus when Stefan was about to stake him…?" I asked, shocked, my mind going a mile a minute as I tried to picture the scene in my head.

"Yes and I am sorry guys… I don't know how to do this yet… A few months ago I was just a human, then I became a werewolf and now I don't know what I am or what it means…" and my heart went out to him and I looked to Elena, silently asking her to let him in.

"Fine… Tyler come in" she said

"Does nobody listen to me!" Damon said in exasperation as he turned around and headed to the bar. I grabbed Tyler's outstretched hand and led him to the couch, sitting beside him and resting my head against his shoulder as Damon sat on the arm of the chair Elena had chosen. The only sound in the room was the loud crackling of the fire, before Damon sighed again.

"So Blondie… what happened with Klaus? You were there for a while but he didn't hurt you…?" Damon asked, taking a drink from his glass of bourbon. I sighed and I started to tell them everything I remembered.


	3. Until Now

**So sorry it's taken me so long to update! But I'm sure everyone knows how hectic the holidays can be, but I'll be better I promise! And I have the next few chapters mapped out and I know the direction that I want the rest of the story to take… now I just need to write them!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ughhhh" I growled as I dumped the chess board onto the floor as Stefan sat back against the couch with a grin on his face.

"You were winning by the way" he said with a chuckle

"I don't care, I am so tired of being cooped up here Stef! Come on, I think we've proven that this has been one big overreaction" I tried to reason with him.

"It's only been three days Care. And just because we haven't seen the Originals doesn't mean they haven't seen us… Trust me, I spent the summer with him. If he wants something then he will get it-"

"But he doesn't want me! He wants Elena! And she gets to go to school and leave the boarding house!"

"But that's different Care. Damon has an agreement with Klaus about this… for now, Elena makes monthly donations and Klaus leaves her alone and she can live her life… and until we come up with a better plan this is how it is. You, on the other hand… we have no idea what is going on with you and them"

"There is nothing going on with me and them! Rebekah confused me with someone else and she hasn't been back to bother me about it since! She must have realized she was wrong"

"Alright alright… You want to go back to school?" he said, holding his hand up to stop to stop me

"Yessssssss…." And he chuckled.

"Fine, we'll go back to school tomorrow but I don't want you out of sight of either me, Bonnie, Elena or Tyler the entire day… is that clear?" he said, his tone surprisingly serious, and I was touched that he was so concerned with my safety.

"Yes father" I mumbled at him with a smile and I got up to sit on the couch next to him and he put his arm over my shoulders and I was reminded of our conversation the other night after Stefan had woken up.

"No way Barbie! You're not leaving the boarding house" Damon had said as I got up to leave with Tyler later that night after I had told them what happened in the dungeon with the strange phone call.

"What are you talking about? Of course I am" I responded

"Listen… You were taken hostage by one Original; badgered by another obsessed she-Original; and you were told to stay put because the third Original was coming for you… Am I missing anything?" he asked the room at large, with his arms outstretched.

"Care… I think he has a point" Tyler said from beside me, and I spun around to throw the traitor an angry look.

"I agree" Stefan said as he rose from the couch.

"But- But, what about my mom? She must be going out of her mind with me not coming home last night!"

"Bonnie talked to your mom and explained everything"

"Oh… But what if the Originals go after her? She's human"

"With you gone and clearly here they have no reason to go after her" Damon replied.

"But what if they decide to use her against me?"

"She's still taking vervain right?" he asked and I nodded, "And none of them have been invited in, right?" and I nodded again, feeling that my chances of getting out of this were slimming, "Peachy… I'll watch over her when she's out and at the station and then she'll be fine at night in the house"

"You- you will?" I asked, shocked that he would do something nice for someone out of the blue, especially me…

"Always so shocked Blondie… Liz happens to be my friend and a very useful ally to have in this town" he said, but I could see through his excuses, he cared about my mom and he might even care about me a little, not that it changed anything between us. And it seemed to have been agreed for me that I would stay at the boarding house with Stefan and Damon and Elena, who had also moved back into the boarding house. And every day since then Bonnie had come by to pick up Elena for school, Damon would go out and watch over my mom and Stefan and I would remain inside the boarding house… bored out of our minds.

"Well, don't you two look cozy" an arrogant voice drawled as he came into the living room to get a drink.

"Oh good… your home" I said sarcastically as Damon leaned against the mantle of the fireplace facing us.

"Glad someone missed me" he smirked and I rolled my eyes before I got up from the couch.

"I am going upstairs to finish the rest of the homework Elena gave me for tomorrow"

"Woah, what's tomorrow?"

"I am going back to school Damon… The Originals haven't showed their faces in three days… most likely they realized how wrong they were and just gave up"

"Damon, she's been cooped up long enough. Plus I'm going back too. And Caroline promised," he gave me a pointed look as he paused, "that she would never be out of sight of me, Elena, Bonnie or Tyler and-" and Damon snorted at the last name.

"What?... What's so funny about Tyler watching out for me?" and Stefan sent Damon a furious look.

"You mean Stefan didn't tell you?" Damon smirked

"No… But I have a feeling you're about to."  
"I would be delighted to… It seems your little boyfriend, Hybrid Junior, has been spending a little time with Hybrid Senior this week…"

"Are you- are you telling me that Tyler has been spending time with Klaus…?" I asked, my mouth dropping open in surprise and dismay.

"Well now I know why you're in the running to be valedictorian…" Damon said sarcastically as he took a sip from his drink.

"For what possible reason? Do you think Klaus is compelling him? Or forcing him or torturing him? Maybe he's threatening to hurt one of us, or-"

"EEEH! None of the above Princess… We know what's wrong with your boyfriend"

"Damon…" Stefan said in a warning voice

"Have you ever heard of a vampire being sired?"

"No…"

"It's a hold that the vampire who turns a human has over the person that they turned. An influence. That person then wants to do whatever that vampire says or wants and lives to please them… of course there are varying levels…"

"So you think that Tyler is under that sort of control with Klaus?"

"It's our working theory… we have yet to test it out"

"You're wrong. Tyler is stronger than that… he would never feel any sort of loyalty to that monster" I said

"I guess we'll have to see then…"

"Do whatever you need to do Damon… He'll prove you wrong" I say with a smug smile and I continue down the hall and up the stairs to the room I had been given. I tried to look confident on the outside as I bounded up the stairs but inside I was terrified that Damon and Stefan were right. I had never heard of a sirebond before, but they seemed sure that was the reason for Tyler's bizarre behavior… and the more I thought about it the more it made sense. It would explain him saving Klaus that day that they rescued me… But I tried my best to put it out of my mind as I finished taking notes, and then when Elena got home I was able to put it fully from my mind.

* * *

I drummed my fingers impatiently on the armrest of my seat as I watched the ground quickly approaching from the window of the jet, and I recrossed my legs for the hundredth time that flight. I hadn't been able to sit still since I had gotten the call. Her call… I could still hear her sweet sigh over the phone and her familiar voice as she said hello. I had waited over 500 years to hear that voice again, never believing that I would. It had been like an electric shot through my body, followed by a numbness of disbelief that spread to my limbs. After all of those years of searching, and all of those decades of hoping followed by despair, my heart had hardened against the idea of further loss… but I felt a crack in that hardening as I thought of seeing her again.

I brushed imaginary pieces of lint from the front of my suit as I tried to quiet my raging thoughts. Like the thoughts of the day that my father found us in a small village near London, four days after she had been taken from me. He taunted me with hints of Caroline's whereabouts and the fact that she may still be alive… and I shuddered as I remembered how he brought his hand to his mouth to lick some dried blood from it, and as the wind shifted I smelled that it was Caroline's. Rebekah and I snarled at him as the smell reached us and I lunged at him. My siblings and I managed to subdue him but he wouldn't give up the location of where he was hiding her. After close to an hour of questions, threats and violence, Niklaus finally snapped his neck. We searched the town all day and into the night and couldn't find a trace of her. Kol stayed behind with our father and continuously snapped his neck when he began to stir… and then just as dawn broke again we found the dungeon in a nearby estate. The cold stone floor was bathed in her blood, and the walls were splattered with it. Everywhere there were signs of her… but there was no her. I upended a table in frustration and threw a stool against the wall, watching is smash to smithereens on impact, but it did nothing to appease my anger.

"Elijah, this blood is fresh…" Rebekah said as she bent down to examine a rather large puddle in the middle of the room.

"She's right brother. Caroline must have just been here" Kol said.

"Do you think she escaped on her own?" Rebekah asked, her eyes wide as she took in the amount of blood in the room, realizing that it wasn't likely.

"When was the last time you gave her your blood?" Niklaus asked quietly from the shadows of the room.

"A few days before I left to come to you… over a week ago"

"So the blood would have been far gone from her system, if she had any blood left at all" he replied quietly as he too surveyed the room.

"Unless father gave her blood?" Kol said

"He wouldn't do that"

"But wouldn't he-" Rebekah started to argue, but I cut her off.

"No sister, he would never give her a chance to survive this…"

"Then where is she brother?" Kol asked, gesturing around the dungeon.

"I… do not know Kol. But I will find her" I vowed… but I wasn't able to keep that vow. I had searched the surrounding town and then the countryside for any sign of her, eventually widening my search to nearby counties until I found myself back in Lancashire months later.

The gardens, once beautiful and manicured, had become overgrown and unkempt, but the smell of spring flowers still hovered in the air; in stark contrast to the sight of half burnt mansion. I walked up the front steps and through the burnt remains of the entryway. I walked around the rooms, some burnt beyond recognition while others remained untouched, and then I made my way to the second floor. My steps echoed as I slowly made my way to her chamber, and her scent enveloped me as breathed her in deeply. I suppressed the despair that built up in my chest and I focused on the task. There was no sign of the pendant anywhere in her desk or vanity drawers, so she must have been wearing it at the time of the attack, but my father hadn't mentioned discovering it. There was also no sign of the bodies that had littered the estate from that night, but otherwise the interior had remained untouched these long months. I left her chamber and went to my own, surprised to see that it was untouched. I retrieved a knapsack and started to gather important belongings. I picked up my journal from my side table drawer and flipped through the pages, catching snippets of passages as I went.

 _"…_ _and it is most surprising that a female as accident prone as she had not met some sort of untimely demise by the time I had been forced to save her that night of the storm, only a few weeks ago now… Although most surprising of all, finding a female with such loyalty and devotion …"_

" _She must be the most infuriating female in all of England! She has no regard for her own safety and for the feelings of those that would mourn her. Would I mourn her were I to have been too late to pull her from the waves? I believe I would, but I cannot feel this way. I mustn't. I only know that I had not felt terror like that, helplessness like that, in decades_ …"

And I flipped to one of the last pages I had written in…

" _She knows what I am, and she loves me despite it. An angel, in love with a monster, redeeming that monster with every breath the angel takes… with every smile. The night had started with such terror as I watched her fall from the crumbling cliff face, but it had ended with such bliss as I held her in my arms as I made love to her. This woman, this angel, will be my wife_."

Every page was filled with descriptions of her laughter, her eyes and her wit… all before I had even known I was in love with her. But as I read through my own words I realized how blinded I had been. My love shown through every written feeling of frustration and confusion, as I described her unwavering loyalty to others and her own selflessness as she went about her charity. It shown throught with every exasperated description of our arguments, and a begrudging respect I had for her as she stood up for herself. I had been attracted to her since the first moment I laid eyes on her, but I had been in love with her since our first conversation… almost exactly a year ago now.

I had taken the journal, the copy of Utopia given to me by Caroline's parents, the painting by Caroline, all of the handkerchiefs made by her; and I added them to the letter that she had written to Niklaus, in which she signed her name Caroline Forbes Mikaelson. I had continued to write entries in the journal, chronicling my search of her and my desperation as it morphed into anger and then as the anger morphed into grief. I mourned her loss, but I never gave up hope that somehow she had survived and was simply waiting for me to find her. Every crowd could contain her, every letter and then phone call could be her… but it never was. Until now.

I was startled out of my thoughts as the jet finally touched down on the runway and I sprang from the chair and retrieved my bag, counting the seconds until the door would open and I could finally return to Mystic Falls, and her.


	4. Back to Normal?

**I should be tarred and feathered. I should be drawn and quartered. I should be decapitated by a sword wielding executioner… Not sure why all my murder methods are from the medieval times… Anyway I am so sorry that I haven't posted a chapter in so long. I won't bore you with excuses, only make promises to post much more regularly in the future! Seriously, I promise! Starting tonight…**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Elijah! Your back!" Rebekah said as she ran into my arms as I entered the mansion in Mystic Falls. I had not seen her since the 20's and I had been abroad searching the location that Niklaus said the coffins were hidden when he had woken her… in truth I hadn't been surprised that he had lied, but I had been surprised to hear Rebekah's voice on the other end of the call. Although, not as surprised as I had been to hear Caroline's.

"Hello sister" I smiled as I returned her embrace, and looked over her shoulder to see Niklaus walking into the front hall. "Brother" I nodded to him.

"Elijah, did you enjoy your time abroad?" he asked and tried to suppress a slight smirk as he leaned a shoulder against the wall.

"Indeed brother, it was very relaxing to be searching for something that was never there. I thank you for sending me on that wild goose chase" I replied, my voice betraying my anger as his smirk faded away.

"I do apologize for that brother. But I needed you out of the way while I made my plans"

"Such as…"

"Well Stefan and I spent the summer attempting to create hybrids but we were unsuccessful… until recently" and he smirked again at the thought.

"Why would Stefan Salvatore leave Elena to go off with you? He despises you"

"Be that as it may, Stefan is loyal to a fault, especially towards his brother, who was suffering from an unfortunate werewolf bite when I healed him"

"So you blackmailed Stefan with his brother's life"

"That is not the point Elijah," he sighed, obviously getting annoyed, "The point is that I have created my first successful Hybrid, brother"

"How wonderful for you Niklaus" I sighed as I made my way past him and up the stairs to my room. Will he never learn? He had searched his whole life for a way to end his curse and be able to create a species of those like himself, always fearing the loneliness that threatened, never realizing that his family would never leave him. But I didn't have time to ponder on Niklaus's actions right now, I had to focus on locating Caroline. A phone call from Rebekah during the flight told me that Caroline had run away from the mansion during a rescue attempt by her friends, and that they were most likely still harboring her. The same friends that had protected Elena Gilbert when I had last been here, and the same friends that I had been tasked with protecting. Suddenly I thought back to the day I had made my agreement with Elena in her room; she had given me a written list of friends that were under my protection. I ripped through the contents of the desk in my room, which had been brought over from our villa in Italy, and finally in the very bottom drawer I saw it.

 _Stefan Salvatore_

 _Damon Salvatore_

 _Jeremy_

 _Aunt Jenna_

 _Alaric Saltzman_

 _Matt Donovan_

Curious… there was no mention of the Bennett witch, or Caroline, who I had been informed were her two best friends. I turned the small paper over and I could have kicked myself…

 _Bonnie Bennett_

 _Caroline Forbes_

 _Tyler Lockwood_

I had never fully examined the list of names before I showed it to the Martin's, and then there had been no need for me to ever examine it again… if I had I would have found her months ago. Of course I had heard the name Caroline mentioned in passing over the centuries, but I had stopped obsessing over the name long ago, as it had become rather common.

I crumpled the paper and threw it to a corner of the room and started to put away the belongings that I had brought with me, all while racking my brain on how to approach Caroline. I knew I couldn't wait days, I had to at least lay eyes on her tonight, if only to make it real. Hearing her voice had been like a blast of cold water, but I knew that seeing her would be even more powerful.

I chose a bottle of scotch and poured myself a drink as I waited for it to be late enough to sneak into the Boarding house. I couldn't quiet my racing thoughts and the hours dragged by as I became more and more desperate to see her… until the clock finally chimed midnight. I sped from my room, down the stairs and out of the mansion, never stopping until I reached the backyard to the boarding house. I froze and listened intently to any noise inside of the house but all I could hear was the even tempo of many sets of breathing. Four. There was four sets of breathing. Obviously two of them belonged to the Salvatore brothers… another could have been Elena. Which left Caroline as the last occupant. I slowly made my way around the outside of the house and separated out the different sets of breathing and identified them. Finally as I came around the front I heard a sigh that was undeniably Caroline's, and without thought I jumped up to the balcony outside of her room. And as luck would have it, she had forgotten to lock the door to the balcony, the fact that I could enter the home at all had probably not occurred to her. I quietly turned the handle and opened the door, slipping inside quickly before a draft could enter behind me. I looked to the bed and took a step toward it before I froze… it was her. I again felt like a live wire had been attached to my body as my eyes hungrily took her in. Her beautiful face was peaceful in sleep, with one hand laid against her pillow as the other rested on her rising and falling chest. Her blonde hair was splayed out around her on the pillow and I noticed how short it was and how much curlier it was then I remembered… immediately I was assaulted by the memory of a premonition I had had one day, 500 years ago, as I watched Caroline ride Hope through the forest. She had been wearing jeans, her hair was much shorter and curlier, and she had had vampire features as she turned to snarl at an attacker. I hadn't thought of that premonition since the day I had gotten it… what did it mean? Had it been a warning that she was going to be taken from me and turned? Or had it been to provide a bit of hope that I would see her again one day?

I gently brushed my hand down her cheek, enjoying the feel of her silky skin again, and hearing her sigh in her sleep. The faint scent of lavender and citrus enveloped me as I bent to gently brush my lips against her forehead, lingering longer than I should. I knew I should go, having seen her and knowing that she was safe, but I couldn't bring myself to leave the room or stop watching her sleep. I lowered myself into a chair in the corner of the room and watched her throughout the night, taking in every detail; every breath and sigh. Each moment I told myself that I needed to go before she awoke, but each moment I was unable to leave her side. Thoughts swirled in my head. None of this made any sense. If Caroline had been alive all this time then why had she never sought me out? Had Mikael compelled her memories away after turning her? Or had she died all those years ago, only to be reborn now into a doppelgänger of sorts? As dawns light slowly started to enter the room I rose from the chair and kissed her one last time on the forehead before I blurred from the room and returned to the mansion, feeling both incredible hope and immeasurable confusion.

* * *

It felt so good to finally be free from the confines of the boarding house that I was gladly sitting down to take my calculus test. I chuckled as Stefan sent me a pained look over his shoulder and I knew what he was thinking, ' _great timing Care_ '. I tucked some hair behind my ear and got to work, concentrating on the advanced derivatives in front of me, and grinned as my brain started to whirl with answers.

After Calculus I walked with Stefan and Bonnie to meet up with Elena for History with Ric. I was anxious to see Tyler as well; I hadn't seen him since that first night of house arrest at the Boarding House. He hadn't come to visit me once, always claimed he was busy with football and then homework. I tried not to take it personally but I couldn't ignore the sting, especially when he first saw me this morning and barely spared me a kiss on the cheek before hurrying down the hall. Elena furrowed her brow and gestured to Tyler's empty seat on the other side of me as she settled into her own seat, and I had to shake my head that I didn't know either. Ric cleared his throat for silence and then the lecture began.

"As I'm sure many of you have seen the fliers, the decade dance is next month-" and he had to pause with the sudden swell of female whispers and giggles, he rolled his eyes and continued at a higher volume, "Anyway… in that spirit we will begin our discussion starting at the turn of the century 1900, and by the time the dance rolls around we should be wrapping up the 20's. So, to start we see a rise in-" but again he was interrupted, this time by the classroom door squeaking open.

"Oh, how nice for you to join us Mr. Lockwood. I hope we're not keeping you from something" Ric said, annoyance evident in his tone and Tyler flushed with embarrassment as he looked around the room.

"I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Saltzman" he murmured and lowered his head to walk to the seat beside me. I wanted to catch his eye to offer a supportive smile, but he never gave me the chance as he slumped into his seat. I spent the entire class shooting glances in Tyler's direction but his gaze never met mine, he seemed much too preoccupied with his phone. Every minute or two it would spring to life in his hand indicating a text message had arrived, and he would immediately sneak it below his desk to respond. The sting from earlier grew into a flood of annoyance and anger before Ric finally finished his lecture as the bell dismissed us. So he could obsessively text this mysterious person all day, but he could barely spare me a goodnight text or a greeting? I angrily threw my textbook and notebook into my bag, curly hair obscuring my view, until I straightened and noticed that Tyler had vanished. I gasped at Elena.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked in exasperation.

"I don't know Care, he hasn't really been himself lately" she replied, her face full of sympathy.

"Damon already told you our theory" Stefan said, coming to walk on my other side as we made our way out of the classroom and to the locker rooms.

"I thought Damon was waiting to say anything until we were sure!" Bonnie said with a grumble.

"She had a right to know" Stefan said with a shrug, he was used to sticking up for Damon and his rash decisions.

"And I should know what's going on! Especially when it concerns my boyfriend!" I said to no one in particular.

Shortly after we parted ways with Stefan as he went to go get changed for football practice. He had been off the team for a year but since all of the drama with the Originals last year he had started spring training to be closer to Elena, and it was especially useful now with the Tyler drama. It was nice to change into our usual workout clothes and let the conversation flow over to normal teenage topics for once. It felt right be taking laps around the track with the football players pretending not to watch… it felt normal. We giggled as Elena and Bonnie taught me a new sequence in the routine and by the end of practice even I was sweating.

"Care, are you catching a ride with Stefan?" Elena called to me over the roar of the shower in my ears.

"No… my mom said she would pick me up. I'm probably already keeping her waiting" I lied. I loved my friends, especially Stefan, who had become like a brother to me since my transition, but I hadn't been alone in three days. I needed a nice long walk home with no one trying to assure me that everything was alright, or to look at me out of the corner of their eyes and ask if I was alright.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!" she called back and I could hear her footsteps departing. I finished rinsing my hair and stood for a moment under the hot stream and took a deep breath. My thoughts started back to that day in the Originals cellar, to that voice on the phone. At the time I had been so focused on getting out of the situation alive that I hadn't focused on the voice. There was something odd about it. It had been deep yet gentle, with a hint of rasp at the end. It had sent a chill down my spine and every inch of skin became covered in goosebumps… it was like my body was yearning for that voice, like it was familiar to me… and then I jumped as the lights in the shower turned off.

"Hello!... Hello! Someone is still in here!..." but there was no answer. I jerked the nob on the shower and stepped out in my towel to look around. All of the other girls had left and I was alone in the dark. A new chill went up my spine, but this wasn't a pleasant one, this was a panic. I quickly turned the lights back on and sped to finish drying and dressing, throwing my hair into a knot on the top of my head and throwing my bag over my shoulder. I raced out of the locker room and through the halls into the front parking lot, surprised to find that it was after sunset.

The panicky feeling didn't leave me as I walked across the almost empty parking lot and down a side street in the direction of my house. I kept looking over my shoulder and I kept my hearing extended for any signs of being followed… and then a twig snapped. I stopped dead and looked around. After a moment another twig snapped, this time closer, and I was off running, speeding down street after street in the direction of my own. I could finally see my street sign and I breathed a sigh of relief but never slowed my pace, even as I turned to look behind me for a sign of anyone, but no one was there. I turned back around… and slammed hard into something, or someone, that was like hitting a wall. I screamed as I fell back onto the ground and looked up…


	5. Her Name Was Caroline

I screamed as I fell back onto the ground and looked up…

"Jesus Tyler! You gave me a heart attack" I tried to sound stern but my heavy breathing marred the effect. He grinned down at me before offering his hand, which I took begrudgingly.

"Sorry Care" he chuckled once I was back on my feet. I picked up my gym bag and slung it back over my shoulder before walking around him without another word. Seeing him grinning down at me had just reminded how frustrated I was at him and I was in no mood to deal with him now.

"Hey! Wait up!" He called and jogged to catch up with me, but I continued to stare straight ahead and ignore him. "Look, I know you might be mad at me but I just wanted to see you…" and his voice trailed off when I glared at him.

"I MIGHT be mad at you? Seriously? I haven't heard from you or seen you in a week!"

"We've been texting everyday"

"A good morning text, followed by silence until you complained about football practice all afternoon to silence again? And you never came to visit me at the Boarding House-"

"You know how busy I've been!"

"I know what I've heard about how busy you've been"

"What is that supposed to mean?"  
"How's Klaus?" I asked as I came to a stop before my front porch steps.

"What?"

"How is he? How's your new best friend that you've been spending so much time with?"

"I haven't been spending that much time with him Care… I just do little things for him that he asks me to do"

"And you don't find anything wrong with that?"

"You don't get it! None of you do! Because of him I never have to turn again! I never have to put my body through that Hell ever again unless I choose to. And all that he asks for in return is some loyalty" his eyes took on this desperate pleading quality and I felt the frustration inside of me shift a bit as I looked at him. "Please Care, don't turn your back on me too"

"The others haven't abandoned you Ty, they just don't understand it fully… they think that you may become dangerous"

"I would never do anything to hurt you, ever. You know I love you Care" he said gently as he closed the distance between us and cupped my cheeks in his warm hands. My anger melted completely at his warm tone.

"I love you too" I said softly, "And I will… try, to understand all of this"

"Promise?"

"I promise" and then he was kissing me. I smiled as I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around his neck. Even as I felt the anger and resentment melt away in the face of our reconciliation, a small part of me felt that maybe I had given in too soon.

Tyler came in and helped me make dinner and then we spent hours doing our homework until we both fell asleep on the couch.

"Ehem" I heard as the living room light turned on, blinding Tyler and I. I opened my eyes to slits to see my mom standing in the doorway, arms folded.

"Hey there mom" I grumbled as my head fell back down.

"Do you two have any idea what time it is? And both of you have school in the morning"

"Well to be fair, we were sleeping a minute ago" Tyler mumbled and I chuckled into the pillow.

"Not here you're not, this house still has rules Tyler. Come on, out" and Tyler sighed as he got to his feet and collected all of his books from around the room before slinging his bag over his shoulder, kissing my forehead, and heading out the front door.

"Was that completely necessary?" I mumbled

"Yes Caroline. I understand that things have changed, but just because you and Tyler are immortal now doesn't mean that I am not your mother. I know that the two of you were doing homework but it is almost three in the morning and there was no reason for him to still be here and-"

"Alright mom… I'm sorry. We fell asleep"

"I know sweetie, I just worry about you"

"I know mom" and I smiled at her as I got to my feet to sleepily shuffle to my room.

Without turning on the light I ripped off my jeans and fell onto the comforter. I yawned as I stretched out my arms to find the throw blanket at the bottom of the bed, and my hand crinkled as it skimmed over something. My hand skimmed over the area again and found a piece of folded thick parchment paper. I sat up and turned on my bedside lamp and looked down at the folded parchment in my hand. I carefully opened the paper…

 _ **I didn't mean to scare you**_

That was it. That's all it said. I smiled a bit, thinking of Tyler's thoughtfulness in leaving me a note. But before that thought could fully form in my mind I knew it wasn't right. Tyler would never think to leave me a note like this, especially having already made up with me earlier tonight. As I stared down at the note, looking at the thick elegant handwriting, the voice on the phone floated over me. It heard that deep voice saying my name, caressing my name, and again tickling something in the back of my mind like a memory. Tyler didn't write this note, so who did?

* * *

"Have you seen her yet?" Rebekah asked as she took the other seat in front of the fireplace in my study, and I nodded as I took another sip of bourbon. "I was right wasn't I? It really is her!"

"It would seem so… but that does raise some very difficult questions"

"Like why she doesn't remember us"

"Precisely"

"Well what'd she say when you spoke with her?" Rebekah asked as she helped herself to the decanter on the side table.

"I haven't" I muttered as I stared into the flames

"Why not!"

"I attempted to yesterday but the werewolf got to her first"

"Tyler? You know he's a hybrid now right?"

"Yes, Niklaus has informed me. And I can smell it on him whenever he steps foot in this home"

"He is here a lot isn't he?"

"You don't seem to mind" I grinned at her and she flushed.

"I do not know what you're talking about"

"Oh so then I was mistaken about you flirting with him whenever he is out of Niklaus's sight?"

"Well I wouldn't find it so fun if he didn't flirt back now would I?"

"Something tells me you might" I teased her and she cracked a smile in return.

"Anyway, getting back to the issue at hand… you need to speak to Caroline"

"I am aware of that"

"Good, then what is the plan?"

"I just need to wait for the right moment. Try and talk to her when she's alone…"

"Instead of waiting for the moment why don't we create it?" Rebekah smirked, looking just like Niklaus when he was in battle mode.

"Why do I feel like you already have a plan?"

"Well I have been thinking that it is very boring to be cooped up in this big house all day with nothing to do…"

"And…?"

"And I was thinking of enrolling in Mystic Falls high school"

"You want to do that? You want to sit through high school classes and deal with the possible problems and drama?"  
"Of course I don't _want_ to Elijah… but we need to get her back" her voice dropped to a murmur as she finished her thought.

"So you will be in her classes and with all of her friends… won't that be hard for you? She was your best friend at one point"

"No, she was my sister. And she will be again" she said determinedly and I had to admire her resolve.

We put our heads together and tried to think of the situation from every angle and eventually it was agreed that Rebekah would enroll as a fellow senior and would compel the secretary to put her in all of Caroline's classes. Rebekah argued that if she was close enough to the group then she could identify the perfect opportunity to get Caroline alone, and I couldn't argue with her logic. I could see through her planning and her passion that she was just as excited as I was to get our Caroline back. I just hoped that she was still in fact, our Caroline.

* * *

"Hey Care" Stefan said with a big smile as he opened my door for me as I pulled into the parking lot of the school. He wasn't wearing his usual brooding or thoughtful expression… something was wrong.

"Um hi Stef, what's going on?"

"Why does something have to be going on for me to greet my best friend on a Monday morning?" he grinned

"Ughh don't say the M word!" I laughed as we made our way to the front of the school where Elena and Bonnie were waiting for us.

"What? Monday? Monday, Monday, Monday, Mon-" and I covered his mouth with my hand as the both of us laughed until we reached Elena and Bonnie, both laughing as they watched us approach.

"He keeps saying the M word! Like we need to be reminded what day it is!" I exclaim and the girls both shoot Stefan outraged faces before they dissolved into grins… then Elena's grin disappears and her face turns white as she stares at something over my shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I turned my head to see what had spooked her, and I saw a familiar blonde face. My heart sped up as her eyes met mine, and a wave of confusion swept through me as she smiled brightly at me.

"I was hoping to warn you guys before you saw her…" Stefan muttered and I shot a questioning glare his way.

"How did you know?"

"I didn't, I just saw her before you guys got here… I couldn't gather you quickly enough"

"Why is she coming over?" Elena hissed, and when I turned my head again I could see that she was walking in our direction.

"Hello" she said with a smile when she finally reached us, and she was greeted with tony silence from us. As her smile began to drop I couldn't help the feeling of pity that welled up inside me.

"Um hi… it's Rebekah right?" I said, surprising even myself with my friendly tone

"Yes, Rebekah Mikaelson"

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, her tone cold

"Boredom" Rebekah answered just as coldly, but her eyes flashed back to me for a second.

"You can tell Klaus to keep his nose out of our business. We have a deal and I don't need you cheking up on me" Elena replied and Rebekah snorted.

"Contrary to what you believe, and what I'm sure your little group keeps convincing you, the world does not revolve around Elena Gilbert. In fact, as the Doppelgänger, do you know what that qualifies you as?"

"What?"

"You are nothing more than a magical ingredient. A tool for greater beings to use in their own plans… you are nothing" Rebekah sneered before she shouldered past a furious Bonnie and bewildered Elena and made her way into the school.

I followed Bonnie and Elena into the school with my mind in a daze. I hadn't been surprised that Elena thought Rebekah was there to spy on her, Elena does have a tendency to think things like that. But what did surprise me was that I had the same thought, about myself. I had been the one who was kidnapped by the Big Bad Original Hybrid. I had been the one to be "recognized" by Rebekah. I was the one who had been made to wait for him by a strange voice on the phone, supposedly belonging to the long lost older brother Elijah… Stefan nudged me and furrowed his brow in question when I looked over at him, and I returned the look with a smile to show that I was fine. We left Elena and Bonnie at their English class and then Stefan and I headed down the hall to our Calculus class. We took our usual seats in the middle of room and I bent over to open my bag to take out my textbook and notebook when a pair of gorgeous high heeled boots entered my vision.

"I love your… boots" I looked up with a smile that quickly disappeared when I saw that it was Rebekah standing over me.

"Oh thanks, I got them in Atlanta last weekend. Not my usual style, but there wasn't much of a selection" she said as she took the seat behind me. I looked at Stefan in the seat to my right and he just shrugged. Just then Tyler walked into the room and he smiled when he saw me.

"Good morning Beautiful" he said with a kiss before he took the seat on the other side of me.

"Good morning" I said, but I raised my eyebrows at him and gestured to the seat behind me.

"Oh hey Rebekah, what are you doing here?" Tyler asked with a smile and my jaw dropped open at his friendly and familiar tone.

"Hey Ty. Just trying to alleviate some boredom, you know how tiring it can be to stay around Klaus for too long" she replied. _Ty_? Since when did they become such great friends?

"Oh yea" he laughed and my anger grew. Obviously when I hadn't seen him all weekend he had been at the Mikaelson mansion getting cozy with Rebekah and Klaus, obviously much too busy to answer a text. I set my eyes to the front of the room and anger rolled off of me in waves as the lecture wore on. As soon as the bell rang to change classes I shot up from my chair and stalked out of the room with Stefan. I expected for Tyler to call after me, hoped that he would, but instead I hear, " _so let me see your schedule_ ", and I knew he was too busy talking to Rebekah to notice me.

"Careful you don't set the sprinklers off Care, your fuming" Stefan joked, but I was too mad to laugh. And my mood continued to drop as the day went on and I discovered that Rebekah was in every one of my classes now. I continued to ignore Tyler and Rebekah throughout the day and I was relieved when the final bell sounded, which signaled cheerleading practice and an outlet for my frustration. Elena and Bonnie seemed to be in equally dark moods so we started off practice with sprints and by the time we were done there were mutters of discontent from the others.

"Oh Caroline… I meant- meant to tell you earlier that… that I met a new girl today that wants to try out for the team" our friend Julie came up to me, out of breath from the sprints. She turned toward the bleachers and waved, and before even looking for myself I knew who it was.

"Tryouts are over Julie, we aren't accepting any new members"

"But you have to see what she can do!" Julie exclaimed as she dragged me toward where Rebekah was now standing with the team. Elena and Bonnie caught my eye and both shook their heads, and I nodded in confirmation.

"Caroline, this is Rebekah. Rebekah this is Caroline, she's the captain of the team" Julie said as she gestured between us, and I could have laughed at the ridiculousness of the act. I had first met Rebekah when her demonic Hybrid brother held me captive in his basement… yea nice to meet you psycho.

"Like I was just telling Julie, tryouts were weeks ago and now the team is full"

"We should at least see what she can do" another voice from the crowd said, which was met with a chorus of agreement and I sighed. Rebekah smiled triumphantly and walked to take her starting stance. She started with a cartwheel that flowed into a front handspring, then came a round off into a standing back tuck that finally ended in a split. All of the girls clapped and ran over to where Rebekah was getting to her feet, and some of the guys on the football team had stopped to watch and were now whistling… including Tyler…

"I say we all vote!" Julie exclaimed, and again the there was a chorus of assent. They did realize this team wasn't a democracy right? "All in favor of Rebekah joining the team, raise your hand" and to my dismay every hand except for mine, Elena's and Bonnie's was raised. I looked around at everyone's excited faces and I realized that it would look ridiculous now if I still insisted that we didn't have room when a girl with Rebekah's skills came along. I couldn't exactly tell all of the human's why we hated this Original vampire… and then my eyes met hers. Her eyebrows were drawn together with such anxiety and her eyes were pleading with mine, I suddenly found myself looking through her eyes. Her brother was the most hated person in this town, arguably the world, and by association so was she. But she hadn't hunted and killed Elena in a ritual, or taken Stefan hostage by blackmail all summer, and she wasn't even the one that had kidnapped me. I suddenly realized how lonely she must be…

"Fine!" I found myself saying, and Bonnie and Elena's jaws dropped. "Let's go through what we have of the routine for Rebekah and then we can focus on teaching it to her for today. Tomorrow we'll go back to adding material". While the rest of the team was happy with this turn of events, I got glares from Elena and Bonnie.

"What do you think you're doing?" Elena asked once the rest of the team was out of earshot.

"How weird would it have looked if I continued to insist that stupid idea about the team being full when everyone could clearly see her skills?"

"It doesn't matter. We can't trust her!"

"I'm not saying we need to invite her over for a sleepover Lena, she's just on the cheerleading team!"

"We shouldn't be letting her anywhere near us!"

"Well I didn't see you voicing any reason's for her not to join"

"Because I thought you could handle it"

"Well obviously I just suck" I said with a glare and I brushed by her to join the rest of the team. As I was walking away I could hear them muttering.

" _There was no need for that Elena. Caroline was in a tough place_ " Bonnie whispered

" _But she's just allowing Rebekah more access to me_ " Elena argued

" _Rebekah hasn't shown the slightest interest in you since she got here_ "

" _Bon she's been so hostile to me!_ "

" _This isn't about you Elena! And I think you need to apologize to Caroline_ " Bonnie finished saying before walking away.

I ended practice early, but it wasn't soon enough to get away from Elena's coldness and Rebekah's strange eagerness. In the locker room after practice I was again one of the last ones to leave. Just as I slung my gym bag over my shoulder I heard my name, and turned to find Rebekah leaning against some lockers down the row.

"Yea?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for the spot on the team" and she smiled gently at me.

"Oh, um no problem. I couldn't argue with your skills"

"You could've," she chuckled, "I know my family doesn't have the best reputation with the supernatural population in this town."

"But you haven't done anything wrong" I said, not sure why I was trying to reassure her.

"Still, the prejudice comes with the territory of being a Mikaelson"

"Oh, yea... I did want to ask you something though…"

"Ask me anything"

"I was just wondering if you had everything straightened out with the misunderstanding with Elijah? It seemed like you had confused me with someone…"

"Oh… Um yea, everything is fine now. Sorry for all of the confusion"

"It's alright, I'm glad everything got straightened out"

"It was actually quite the shock to see you that day" she said as we made our way out of the locker room together.

"So I look like someone you guys knew?"

"You could say that"

"Was she a friend of yours or something?"

"She was like a sister to me…" she said sadly and again I felt a wave of emotion for this girl I didn't know.

"What happened to her?"

"She was taken from us"

"Wow… So she was really close with all of you?"

"She never got to meet Klaus…but she- she was closest with Elijah"

"I heard from Elena that your brother was very noble and trustworthy"

"He is," she smiled, "and that day she was taken he lost his best friend and his fiancé" and her smile disappeared as we got to my car.

"Wow… I'm sorry you never found her…" I said genuinely. I was beginning to think that there was more to this family that meets the eye.

"Thanks… well, see you tomorrow" she said as she continued walking to her own car. I unlocked my door and threw my bags in the back, but just as I was able to climb in a thought entered my head.

"Rebekah?" I called

"Yea?"

"What was her name?" and she grinned slightly at my question.

"Caroline. Her name was Caroline…"


	6. Miss?

"Morning Sunshine" I hear Stefan call out of the open window of his car as it sat in front of my house. I paused in taking my keys from my purse and walked over to lean in the window of his car.

"Hey Stef, what's up?"

"I'm taking you to school" he smiled

"Oh are you?"

"Yup, get in" and I laughed as I slid in beside him.

"To what do I owe this early morning pleasure?"

"I can't pick my best friend up on the way to school?"

"You can, I just figured you were picking up Elena"

"Things with her are… complicated"

"Still? I thought you guys talked about things?"

"There's nothing to talk about with Damon still in the picture… but that's not what I was talking about. She's not speaking with me right now"

"Not you too!"

"Afraid so… Last night Bonnie and I tried to sit her down and talk with her and she just shut us down. Damon even tried too. We don't understand why she's so mad at you…" he said. But I think I had figured it out. Elena thought of herself as a very caring and understanding person, and to an extent she was, but she wasn't perfect. And when she is in an argument with someone, and especially when she is at fault, she holds onto it rather than admit to a wrongdoing. Not her best quality.

"I get it Stef. She'll come around" I sighed and Stefan rubbed my knee in support. He pulled up next to Rebekah's car just as she was getting out.

"Good morning" she said with a wave as she got her gym bag out of the trunk.

"Good morning Rebekah" I said with a smile and Stefan followed my lead with a friendly greeting. Stefan had filled me in on the fling they apparently had back in the twenties when Stefan was a ripper, but it didn't seem to have an effect on their relationship now.

"Are you guys ready for the homecoming game?" Rebekah asked Stefan as we walked toward the school.

"Getting there… to tell you the truth I couldn't care less" he chuckled

"I know what you mean. It's hard to care about things like that after being around for so long"

"Well no one's been around as long as you grandma" I said and Rebekah faked an outraged expression before she joined Stefan in laughter. I was glad that we didn't run into Elena as we made our way to our first class, I didn't want to deal with her outraged expression or glares this early. It was strange how I was coming to welcome Rebekah's company more than I was Elena's…

The day passed by very uneventfully. I was able to be near Elena and simply ignore her, and she seemed to have the same strategy with me, which was just fine. What I wasn't okay with was being almost ignored by Tyler still. Again I couldn't wait for cheerleading practice to get some laps out, and enjoy conditioning day. I eagerly changed into my workout clothes while chatting with Bonnie about a history paper we have due the next day. Together we made our way out to the track to wrangle the unenthusiastic cheerleaders for conditioning day.

"Alright! We're going to start with sprints, then go into mountain climbers and lunges. Then we'll go into the abs" and that was met with some groans, but they'll thank me later. "Um where's Rebekah?" I asked the group, just realizing she wasn't among them.

"She was talking to Tyler" Shannon said.

"Okay, I'm going to go get her while the rest of you stretch out" and I walked around the bleachers to look for her. The first thing I heard was giggling.

"Tyler, come on! Give it back!" Rebekah was laughing as she tried to jump to get something that Tyler was holding above her head. It looked like a hot pink head band. And it was hard to miss the way her hands were clutching his biceps and the way her body slid down the front of his when she tried to jump.

"You have to jump for it Bekah" he taunted her. Instead of jumping again she pushed him backwards onto the ground and retrieved her headband from his surprised grasp. When she started to strut away he blurred to his feet and tackled her onto the ground, straddling her as he leaned down to murmur something to her as he tickled her sides. My anger and jealousy reared up as her laughter reached me and I found myself marching toward them.

"I thought you had better taste than that Rebekah. Sloppy seconds doesn't seem like your type" I said sarcastically and watched as they tried to scramble to their feet. I turned on my heel and walked back toward where the rest of the team was stretching and I walked right past them all and continued into the locker room.

"Hey Care! Where are you going?" Bonnie called after me, but I didn't turn to answer her, I just saw red. After almost three weeks of being ignored by Tyler, my supposed boyfriend, I then find him on top of another girl tickling her. It's like it was just one thing after the other lately.

"Caroline!" another voice, Tyler's voice, was now calling after me, and I sped up my steps to get to the locker room.

I threw open my locker, pulled a sweatshirt over my head and grabbed my bag as I started walking out of the locker room, but I was blocked by Tyler at the door.

"What the hell was that?" he asked angrily.

"Oh sorry I didn't think it was fun to find you on top of another girl!"

"It wasn't like that!"

"How am I supposed to know that? How am I supposed to know anything that is going on with you?"

"What's that supposed to mean? You know me"

"This is the first conversation we've had in 6 days Tyler! And we're only doing it because we're fighting"

"I know, and I'm sorry for that… But trust me, there is nothing going on between Rebekah and me. Yea, she's hot but there's not much going on under the surface"

"Oh you just find her hot? And how would you know if she was shallow unless you've been spending time with her"

"Well I've been at Klaus's house a bit to help him with things, and sometimes she's there… But Care, they never ask anything about you or Elena or anyone else in the group, I swear!"

"That's not what I care about Ty! I-" but I was interrupted by a knock on the locker room door, and then it swung open to reveal Bonnie. Judging by her expression she had heard what happened.

"I just wanted to check that you were okay Care" she said gently to me before shooting Tyler a glare.

"No that's just great, be mad at me when I did nothing wrong!" Tyler shot at Bonnie

"What do you mean you did nothing wrong? How would you feel if you found a guy laying on top of Caroline, tickling her and hearing her laughing?"

"That's taken out of context! And I've never said anything about how close Caroline and Stefan are. They're always texting and calling and hanging out, I've seen them holding hands and hugging." At hearing this, the anger that had started to drain away turned white hot. When I spoke it was with a deadly quiet voice.

"Stefan Salvatore is like a brother to me. I love him. And we have saved each other more times than I can count. I would die for him Tyler. Don't you dare compare my friendship with Stefan to this flirtation you seem to be having with a girl that you've known for three weeks… I'm done" I finished with a glare at him and I shouldered past him and out the door with Bonnie. "Can you run practice today? I can't be around either of them right now"

"Of course. I already have everyone running the sprints"

"Thanks Bon" I said and she hugged me.

"Of course. But do you need a ride home? You came with Stefan this morning right?"

"I'm fine, I need the walk" I assured her with a smile as we broke apart.

The cool fall air felt refreshing against my skin as I slowly walked home. My mind was spinning with unwelcome thoughts. Tyler and I hadn't been right for a while now and it felt like I was the only one fighting for us. It was disheartening. The sire bond and becoming a hybrid had completely changed him, and he didn't even realize it. Or if he did realize it then he didn't see anything wrong with it…

"Um excuse me Miss…Could you tell me what direction City Hall is in?" said a deep voice from my right and it yanked me from my thoughts. I turned to the car and I had to stop my jaw from dropping. The car was sleek and shiny and black, but the driver was what caught my attention first. He had a strong square jaw line and big brown eyes framed with thick lashes. He had a long straight nose and high cheekbones… and for some reason he looked familiar…

"Oh um… If you continue down Hawthorne and take a right on Green it should take you right to the middle of town and that's where Town Hall is"

"Thank you. I tried coming to town with a shortcut and I got all turned around" he chuckled and I smiled. His voice was deep yet gentle and it carried a hint of a British accent.

"Do you come to town often?" I asked, needing to know where I had seen him before.

"I've been here a few times. I'm a historian writing a book on small towns in Virginia"

"Oh… sorry for prying, it just seemed like we had met before"

"I think I would've remembered that" he grinned and my heart sped up with his obvious flirtations and I felt my face heat up under his intense eyes. "Have a good night Miss" he nodded.

"You too" I smiled a bit breathlessly as I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I watched his car speed away and turn out of sight. What was wrong with me? A hot guy in a nice car smiles at me and I'm blushing and breathless? Ugh. But he had looked familiar…

* * *

 **I know this chapter was short, but I'll make up for it in the next one! And who could that strange handsome stranger in the car be? But we all know that Elijah won't wait long to speak to her again after getting a taste of it…**


	7. The Falls

I did a lot of thinking last night. I loved Tyler and I didn't want to give up on him, especially when he was going through something as drastic as becoming a hybrid and being the victim of a sire bond. Klaus must be influencing him in some way, or maybe even Rebekah was behind his personality change. Elena was right, I never should have been nice to her. And speak of the devil…

"Hey Care" she said as she walked up to me in the parking lot before school.

"Hey Lena" I said cautiously

"Bonnie told me what happened yesterday"

"Wonderful…"

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry Care… You have a lot going on right now and you don't need to add drama with me on top of that" and I could've cried as the relief swept through me. I knew I hadn't been at fault in my fight with Elena, but that didn't make not speaking with her any easier. And now that things with Tyler were so complicated it felt good to have my best friend back.

"Thanks Lena!" and I grabbed her up in a hug that had both of us laughing, "I hate fighting with you!"

"Me too" she murmured as she squeezed me tighter. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked as she released me and we walked into the school.

"The worst part wasn't even seeing Tyler flirting with her… on top of her. Okay no that was pretty bad. But the worst part was that he didn't even think there was anything wrong with it! He was mad that I was mad. Can you believe that?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know… I do know that you were right about Rebekah though!"

"Well I could say I told you so-"

"But you won't" I warned her and she grinned.

"But I won't. And don't worry, we'll figure this out. I'm sure Tyler has just been practicing so hard for the Homecoming game tonight. Once that stress is off his shoulders he'll be more himself" I could tell from her small forced smile that even she didn't fully believe that would solve everything, but I was a bit desperate at this point.

"I bet your right! It won't solve all of our problems, but if we have more time to spend together then everything will be fine" I smiled, "So how did practice go yesterday?"

"Fine. We finished with the conditioning a bit early so we ran through the routine for tonight"

"How was everyone looking?"

"Well no one was very happy with Rebekah when they found out what happened… oh you meant the routine? It was fine"

"Great, I was so hoping that the whole school would know about Tyler's tickle time…" I said sarcastically

"Annie heard Bonnie telling me and then she told the rest of the team… to be fair she did it out of loyalty to you"

"I know. I know she wouldn't do it with malice"

"Plus everyone will be talking about the game tonight"

"That's true… Alright, I'm done pouting!" and I really meant it. I hated being negative, and it felt like that was a constant theme around me lately and I didn't like it. I was excited about the game tonight, and I was equally excited about the bonfire in the woods later. As seniors, this was our last year to participate in traditions like this.

Stefan seemed happy that Elena and I were friends again, and I know that Bonnie was relieved to no longer be in the middle. The only one that didn't seem to be having a good day was Rebekah Mikaelson. During calculus class this morning she had tried to talk to me but I refused to turn around. I knew I was acting childish, and that Tyler was the one that tackled her, but I couldn't let it go after only one night. I knew that I would eventually forget about the incident, especially once me and Tyler got back on track with our relationship, but I was still mad. But as the last bell of the day rang I automatically met Tyler at his locker.

"I didn't know if you would still meet me" he said sheepishly as I approached.

"It's a tradition" I explained, "Plus I'm pretty sure I'm good luck for you" I joke and he smiles.

"Oh I know that you are… and I should tell you that more. I should tell you a lot of things more often Care… and I'm sorry"

"I know you are Ty. I'm still mad… I'm hurt. But I do love you and I want you to do so great tonight. So I want you to play and enjoy your game and know that I'll be waiting for you at the bonfire" I said. I leaned up on my tiptoes to press my lips against Tyler's, like I had for all of his games before, and I felt… different. My heart didn't speed up and I didn't get that familiar flare of excitement deep in my stomach. It must just be the distance between us right now. All of the disagreements and miscommunication. Right?

He waved bye and with a smile headed off into the locker room and I did the same, but in a haze of confusion. How could I suddenly feel nothing when I kissed him?

"Hey what's the matter?" Bonnie asked as I sat down on the bench, slowly unzipping my boots.

"What?" I hadn't even realized I had sat down next to her.

"You just seem really out of it"

"Yea… something weird just happened…"

"What was it? Are you okay?"

"Um ya," I looked around at the other girls to make sure that nobody was paying attention to us, "I was just talking to Tyler and I kissed him… and I felt- well I mean I didn't feel- I don't know I didn't feel it… There was no spark Bon. I used to get butterflies around him and I would be so excited to see him, and now…" and I just shook my head.

"This can happen in relationships Care. I mean you and Tyler haven't exactly been on the same page lately have you?"

"That's an understatement"

"So now you just need to decide something…"

"What?"

"Do you feel like it is worth sticking around to see if your feelings change again? To give it one more chance. Or do you think that things have gone past that? Because either way you won't be wrong. Whatever you feel like you have to do you need to do" she said with a smile and I returned it. Although I'm sure her words were meant to make my decision easier, I think I was more confused than ever. But I shook off my funk and I focused on getting into my cheerleading uniform and then doing Bonnie's hair while Elena did mine. And I was able to forget about the new conflict of the day while I laughed and joked with my best friends.

* * *

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the game?" I asked Rebekah as she came walking over to me in the corner of the parking lot as I leaned against my car.

"I am ready" she insisted as she gestured to herself

"You mean there aren't more clothes meant to go over that?" I asked, looking down at the extremely short skirt and midriff baring shirt.

"I bet you won't be such a ninny when you see Caroline in hers" she smirked at me, and without meaning to I started to picture it, unconsciously loosening my tie at the thought.

"Don't be ridiculous Rebekah. Why did you call me down here?"  
"To tell you what I heard of course"

"And that would be?"

"Well you remember me telling you that I had been flirting with Tyler Lockwood quite a bit?"

"Yes"

"And remember how yesterday Caroline caught us play fighting and tickling and such?"

"Yes" I said, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well it turns out their issues go deeper than we thought… I overheard Caroline talking to Bonnie in the locker room an hour ago and she said that when she kissed Tyler today she didn't feel anything" and she smiled brilliantly when she finished. I could understand that this was a step in the right direction, but this matter with Tyler was not as important as just finding a way for Caroline to get her memories back.

"I don't understand why you are so focused on sabotaging her relationship with Tyler when simply getting her memories back will do the same thing"

"Because she will not let you anywhere near her if she is still loyal to another man, and neither will Tyler for that matter"

"The pup does not frighten me"

"Be that as it may, the sooner he is out of the way the sooner we can focus on what is really important"

"Very well Rebekah. I thank you for your efforts and for this information" I nodded at her and she beamed up at me.

"Will you be at the game tonight?"

"Yes, staying out of sight. That routine of yours is really something" I smirked at her

"Hey! I didn't make it up! You can thank your fiancé for the lack of creativity… but anyway, make sure you're around later tonight as well. In the woods near the fall's"

"Alright?"

"You never know if a situation might present itself" and she winked at me before turning and running back to the school.

I backed away between the trees to conceal myself and I waited for the sun to set. Talking to Caroline yesterday had been like finally getting a fix. For those few moments there hadn't been a thing wrong in the world and nothing else mattered besides her smile and her sweet voice. And she had recognized me! She may not have gotten her memories back by merely seeing me but now I was sure that they were buried in there somewhere. I just needed to get closer to her, to really talk with her, to try and figure this out. Maybe Rebekah was right, it certainly would be much easier with Tyler Lockwood out of the way. But knowing Caroline and her strength of loyalty, she wouldn't give up on him easily. ' _Hell, she wouldn't give up me_ ' I thought with a smile.

As the students started returning to the school for the game I retreated deeper into the trees and waited for the parking lot to empty out again. Once fewer people were around I made my way through the cars and to the stadium. I couldn't risk being seen by Elena or Stefan, who still didn't know that I had actually returned to town, so I snuck beneath the bleachers to watch. I couldn't care less about a high school game of football, but I did care quite a bit about a certain blonde cheerleader… alright two blonde cheerleaders, but I was only here for one of them. Caroline's hair was pulled into a curly pony tail with ribbons in it. She had a bit of sparkle on her cheeks and they were flushed with excitement. And Rebekah had been right, I didn't mind seeing Caroline in the uniform as much as I had minded my baby sister in it; although I wasn't thrilled with every other boy and man in Mystic Falls seeing what was mine… She was quite athletic and outgoing in this time period. Over the weeks that I had been watching her I noticed how different she was, but I was glad to see that some core personality traits had remained. She was still loyal to a fault, as I heard she had often been put in serious danger when protecting her friends. She was still witty, always making her friends laugh and people still seemed to naturally gravitate toward her. She was still charitable as well. I had witnessed her organize and run a charity pancake breakfast, organize a park cleanup and she was running the dance committee (all knowledge courtesy of Rebekah). She seemed the most peaceful when she was outside by herself though. I noticed she would sometimes close her eyes as she walked home and lift her face to the warm sun and breathe deeply. She still gravitated toward the color blue, which made me laugh when I remembered the fights she would get into with Lady Forbes about the color. I always thought she looked beautiful in any color, especially blue, but nothing compared to Caroline in red.

Caroline looked happy. She was between Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennet for much of the night and the three never stopped smiling and cheering. I noticed that Rebekah was ignored by the trio for the majority of the game, until almost the end when Caroline went to retrieve her water bottle and Rebekah handed it to her. Caroline offered Rebekah a small smile and thanks and went to rejoin the other two. I hoped Rebekah knew what she was doing because she was making an enemy of herself with Caroline, and if Caroline never gained her memories back then she was in trouble. As the game came to an end I slipped away and returned to the mansion, not wanting any of the wonder gang to see me.

Rebekah returned almost an hour later to shower and change.

"How does this look?" she asked as she came into my study. She had on dark jeans that were too tight and a black top that was entirely too low.

"Do I really need to answer that?" I sighed as I returned to analyzing the papers in front of me, knowing she wouldn't like my truthful answer.

"No I suppose not" she sighed in return, "Well are you coming?"

"Maybe later. There is too much of a chance of Stefan Salvatore or Elena seeing me"

"Well eventually they're going to know your back. I'm just surprised you've kept it a secret this long"

"It will be easier to get to know her if she is not unduly terrified of me"

"Caroline is not the type to frighten easily brother, don't you remember?" and I immediately remembered seeing her bloody and filthy at the bottom of a cliff and her still offering her neck to me, her face hard in resolution.

"Oh I remember" I said with a smile and she returned it.

"Well then, come or don't, but I feel like there may be an opportunity tonight" she said and then she was out of my study and walking down the hall. I sat in my study for a bit longer, going over some stocks, but my eyes kept gravitating toward the large clock on the opposite wall. It struck 10 o'clock and I slammed my pen down in frustration. Rebekah had been gone for an hour and I had barely gotten anything done while thinking about Caroline. I got to my feet and looked in the mirror over the fireplace and straightened my tie; then I retrieve my suit coat and I walked out the door before I could talk myself out of it. I straightened my cufflinks as I walked to the edge of the forest, not proud of the knot forming in my stomach. I had waited 500 years to see Caroline Forbes again, and she had been less than a mile from me for three weeks and the only thing I had done was ask her for directions… cowardice was not a comfortable outfit. What if she never remembered? What if this was some sort of trick and I had truly lost the real Caroline forever. Having hope was almost paralyzing.

As I got closer I heard voices and music and knew I had found the right place. I stayed to the shadows and walked the perimeter of the crowd, but I didn't see her anywhere. I also didn't see Bonnie Bennet and Elena Gilbert. What I did see however was Rebekah dancing extremely close to a certain football player, and I rolled my eyes at her obvious intentions of driving a wedge between Caroline and Tyler. I walked away from the throng of teenagers and the overwhelming stench of cheap liquor and found my way to the falls. This had always been my favorite spot, even as a human. I leaned against a far spot of the railing and watched the water. I always felt such peace when I was here, and I felt small against this natural giant. I decided to wait about twenty more minutes and check the crowd again, and if Caroline wasn't among them then I was going to leave. And the twenty minutes was just about up when I heard a rustling coming toward the falls. I took a step further into the shadow and I was about to leave when a head of curly golden hair stopped me. It was Caroline; wiping away angry tears as she sat on the ledge of the falls leaning against the railing. Immediately I remember how I would always find Caroline leaning against the trunk of small tree, legs overhanging the cliff as she gazed out into the ocean. I smile thinking of how things might not have really changed with her. I spend another few minutes watching her before I walk towards her.

"Are you alright Miss?" I ask. She whips her head around, obviously not expecting anyone else to be here this time of night.

"Oh um, yes, yes I'm fine thank you… Wait, it's you" she says with a smile as she gets to her feet.

"I am me" I reply with a smirk and she smirks right back at me.

"You know what I mean. You're the historian writing a book on small town Virginia… you asked me for directions the other day" and I pretended to think it over for a second.

"Oh of course, I remember you. I didn't catch your name though"

"My name is Caroline Forbes" she smiled

"Pleasure to see you again Caroline Forbes," I said, and she didn't even know how true that was, "My name is… Simon. Simon Knightsly" I say, trying to come up with a name. I chose the name from her past and I watched for a flicker of recognition in her eyes, but I found none.

"Very nice to meet you Mr. Knightsly" and she held her hand out for me to shake, but instead of shaking her soft hand I brought it to my lips and planted a kiss on her knuckles. I felt the smallest of tremors run through her body at my touch and I was pleased that I was not the only one affected by our nearness.

"And you Miss Forbes. So what brings you to the falls at this time of night?" I ask as I release her hand and lean against the railing facing her, and she copies my movement.

"It's nothing really…"

"If it had upset you then it is not nothing"

"It's just… I have this boyfriend, his name is Tyler, and he… we've barely talked in weeks except to fight with each other. And even when we're fighting we're not communicating. And now there's this new girl at school that he is all over and it's pissing me off ya know? And-" but she cut herself off and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry, that was totally inappropriate of me to just unload on you like that"

"No need to apologize Miss Forbes. I have a little sister that is always going from one male drama to the next, passion is a hard thing to control"

"But that's the problem too! There is no passion-" she exclaimed and again covered her mouth. "Damn, what is wrong with me" she chuckled and I laughed.

"Please don't be embarrassed Miss Forbes. Sometimes it is healthy to get the opinion of an outsider"

"And what is your opinion?" she asked quietly

"It seems to me like a relationship that has run its course. Lack of communication and jealousy are the silent killers of any relationship and yours has both" I said seriously, but inside my heart was hammering. What I was saying was the truth, but I was far from an unbiased stranger.

"I know your right… It's just hard ya know? When someone becomes part of your life it's hard to see them leave it"

"Trust me I know"

"You sound like you've lost someone"

"I almost did. I thought she had died and that day has haunted me… but then I found out she was alive and it feels like I've only started living again since then" I said with a smile and she returned it.

"Wow… see that's what I want! I want that type of loyalty and passion in a relationship. When you would go to the ends of the earth for the other" she sighed as she returned her attention to the falls, and I thought to myself ' _I have gone to the ends of the world trying to find you'_.

"Well I would never presume to tell you what to do Miss Forbes, but it seems like you already know" I looked down at her

"Please, call me Caroline. If you're going to be my relationship expert then I feel like first names are appropriate" she laughed and I joined her. I had missed her quick and innocent wit.

"Caroline then" I smiled, but her brow furrowed for a moment and she looked back up at me.

"What's wro-" I started to ask but then we both heard a rustling in the branches behind us and turned to find Stefan Salvatore walking toward us.


	8. Done

"Well I would never presume to tell you what to do Miss Forbes, but it seems like you already know" he said as he looked down at me. I noticed that we had moved closer to each other as we spoke and my right arm could feel the heat of his chest just inches away, and as a breeze came through the clearing his musky scent enveloped me.

"Please, call me Caroline. If you're going to be my relationship expert then I feel like first names are appropriate" and I laughed and he laughed in return. His laugh was deep and warm and I never wanted him to stop… _what was wrong with me_?

"Caroline then" he murmured, and a chill went up my spine at the familiar way he said my name, but where had I heard that voice before?

"What's wro-" he started to ask as his hand reached for my arm, but then we were both startled by a rustling in the tree branches behind us and we turned. And there was Stefan. For some reason the air seemed to thin and I could think straight again.

"Hey Stef" I say with a smile and he just looks back at me strangely.

"Caroline… what are you doing here?"

"I just- I couldn't be around Tyler right now"

"I get that, he's an ass… but what are you doing here with him?"

"Don't be rude Stefan, Mr. Knightsly is a historian writing a book. And the falls are very historic to this-"

"Caroline, that is Elijah Mikaelson…" he said as he took a step forward, and I felt the blood rush from my face as I looked back at the man by my side. His face, a minute ago that was so open and smiling, was now hard as he stared back at me.

"Caroline, please just-" he started to say as he reached for me again but Stefan blurred to stand in between us.

"Stand aside Mr. Salvatore, this does not concern you" he said, his voice low and dangerous, and again I took a step back.

"It is my business when someone is after my best friend"

"I am not after her, I was merely having a conversation with her"

"Why are you so obsessed with her Elijah?"

"I do not have to answer to you Mr. Salvatore so do not labor under the delusion that you hold the upper hand"

"Elijah, you are an honorable man, why not just tell us what is going on?" Stefan tried a different tactic.

"The only person that I owe an explanation to is standing behind you Mr. Salvatore" he said quietly and our eyes met. His big brown eyes almost appeared to be pleading with me to stay, and I felt my foot take a half step forward before Stefan grabbed my arm.

"Now is not the time Elijah. Come on Care" and then we blurred to the edge of the party and walked as calmly as we could through it to find Elena and Bonnie, Stefan still had an iron grip on my arm.

"Hey guys!" Elena said when she saw us, but her smile disappeared as she got a better look at our faces, "What's wrong?"

"Elijah found her" Stefan answered her and Elena's jaw dropped open.

"What? I thought that was just a misunderstanding?"

"Apparently not" I said

"Well what did he say?"

"Nothing to explain any of this…" I said, reluctant to reveal that I had embarrassingly just unloaded about my relationship to an Original, and I couldn't help the flush that crept up my chest and cheeks, grateful for the dark shadows of night around us.

"Hey Care! I've been looking all over for you!" Tyler said as he came to my side and slung his arm around my shoulders.

"Don't you dare touch me" I snarled at him, my emotions getting the better of me after the stressful night, and shrugged out from under his touch.

"What's the matter now?" he whined, and I could smell whiskey on his breath.

"Why don't you go back to dance-fucking Rebekah? This doesn't concern you" I said disgustedly

"Come on Care I'll drive you home" Stefan offered, taking my hand gently

"Get your hand off my girlfriend Stefan!"

"You are very close to not having a girlfriend Tyler!" I yelled at him as I shook off his hand again.

"Get off your high horse Care" he scoffed

"Tyler, Elijah just found her. He could've taken her and none of us would have known" Stefan said

"Oh Elijah finally talked to you?" he asked me and my blood turned cold

"What do you mean 'Finally' Tyler?" I asked

"Well he's been back for like three weeks now" he explained

"And you didn't think that would've been nice to know seeing as he told Caroline he was coming for her?" Stefan shouted at him

"Klaus asked me not to!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Stefan shouted again and shoved Tyler into a tree, veins creeping into his eyes turning them black. Tyler's eyes turned yellow and he snarled at Stefan. I quickly looked around and was glad that we were far enough away from everyone else that this was going unnoticed by the drunk humans.

"What? She's fine!" Tyler insisted as he gestured to me

"And you thought that listening to Klaus like his little lap dog was more important than protecting your girlfriend?"

"She was never in danger!" Tyler insisted

"You didn't know that Tyler, and you still don't know that. You've chosen Klaus over us for the last time" I finally spoke up

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm done" I said and I finally turned and began walking away, anger fueling my steps and disguising my distress. I wasn't even sure what I had meant by _done_ , but I knew I needed some time away from Tyler. Stefan caught up to me and together we walked to the road and got in his car, both of us looking around for any signs of being followed.

* * *

I sat looking at the crackling fire as I took a sip of bourbon, allowing the liquid to slowly burn down my throat as I swallowed. Rebekah had been reporting back to me for three weeks now and I still hadn't found another chance to speak with her since the falls. She was always surrounded by her friends, but fortunately Tyler still was not among them. The night after the bonfire Tyler had showed up at Caroline's house and she had thrown him out and rescinded her invitation. He had tried a few more times to speak with her but she refused to give him the time of day, although Tyler kept insisting to Rebekah that they were not broken up.

"What has you glaring at the flames brother?" Niklaus asked from the seat beside me

"What else? Caroline Forbes"

"The cheerleader seems to be causing quite a bit of trouble for such a baby vampire"

"But she can't be a baby vampire Niklaus, she was alive in 1504. Unless something else is at play here..."

"I have it on good authority that she was turned a little over a year ago by none other than Katherine Pierce"

"Katerina?" I asked, shocked. It had never occurred to me to find out who had turned her because I had assumed it was our father, if he kept her alive. And I hadn't thought about the beautiful but deceptive brunette in centuries. "How do you know this?"

"I do not stay in a town long before amassing a system of spies' brother" he smirked at me before taking a sip from his own glass.

"I guess I have been a bit preoccupied" I admitted

"Well luckily I have something that you do not"

"And what is that? Besides your spies'"

"A loyal hybrid who just happens to be Caroline's current yet estranged boyfriend" and I rose to my feet to refill my glass as I thought about what he said.

"Why would you want to help me Niklaus?" I asked him as I poured more amber liquid into my glass, my inherent suspicion of Niklaus seeping into my voice.

"Because… I lied to you about the whereabouts of our siblings… and I do not wish for this rift between us to grow any larger" he admitted and I turned to look at him. I took a step back toward him and met his earnest gaze.

"If you help me in this matter Brother, then there shall be no rift" and I held out my hand, which Niklaus shook with a smile. "What do you intend to have him do? She won't believe it if he suddenly disappears or starts leaving her alone."

"Ye of little faith" he shook his head with a smirk as he took out his phone. He dialed a number and brought it to his ear, "Tyler! Would you mind running over to the mansion at some point tonight? I want to talk to you about something"

" _Sure, I can be there in a half hour_ "

"Perfect, see you then Tyler"

" _See you then_ " and then he hung up. We sat in silence for those thirty minutes and watched the fire die and listened to the clock chime ten o'clock. And finally we heard tires on the gravel in the driveway.

"Klaus?" he called when he entered the doorway

"In the library" he called back and he smirked at me. We listened as footsteps walked through the entranceway and down the hall to the library and then he was through the door.

"What is he doing here?" he asked, gesturing to me.

"Try not to be insolent Tyler. You may be my favorite hybrid but that doesn't make you special" Klaus retorted.

"Sorry" Tyler muttered and returned his eyes to Klaus.

"Tyler I called you here because I have a task for you"

"Okay?"

"I would like for you to… bite your little girlfriend" and I jumped out of my seat as Tyler stood there outraged.

"What?" I exclaimed as I towered over Niklaus

"Calm yourself brother" he said to me as he too got his feet and approached a frozen Tyler and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Tyler, you will bite Caroline" he said simply as he looked him in the face, but I could tell that he wasn't compelling him.

"Brother I-" I started to say but Klaus held his hand up to halt me.

"I'm not going to bite Caroline!" Tyler insisted, his face growing angry, "I may do things for you around the house but this is insane Klaus!"

"Nevertheless you will do this" Klaus said again, just as calmly.

"I am not your slave Klaus!" Tyler shouted as he turned to leave the room, "And I will never do this for you" and then he was running back through the house and out the door, and Niklaus was simply smirking.

"That should do it" he said as he turned back around and returned to his chair.

"I see several things wrong with this plan Niklaus. First of all, you did not compel the boy so he is free to ignore your instructions. Second of all, why would biting Caroline solve any of our problems?"

"Tyler is under the influence of a sire bond to me Elijah, he may fight and scream but eventually he will do what I want, so no, he is not free. As to your second point Brother, I happen to be the only known cure of a werewolf bite, and I happen to be your brother. If they want the cure for their friend then they will need to bring her here, to you"

"But what if something goes wrong? What if they can't get to her in time?"

"Then I suggest that you start tailing her a bit more closely Brother, I would hate for the blonde little morsel to die before we got the bottom of this mystery" and I shook my head at his lack of tact. As he left the room I returned to my seat by the fire. I despised this plan, especially since it was Niklaus's idea and I did not trust him. But none of my plans or observations had come to anything in regards to Caroline and my desperation was growing. I had now been in town for six weeks and I had only had two short conversations with the girl.

I suddenly shot from my chair, donned my jacket and sped from the room. If what Niklaus said was true, then there was no telling when Tyler would eventually succumb to his orders and bite her, and I needed to be there.


	9. The Birthday Tombstone

It didn't even feel like my birthday. Nothing felt right. My mom wasn't home this morning when I woke up, I hadn't spoken to Tyler in weeks, and I was technically dead. Having a birthday wasn't the same when you stopped aging. It wasn't an accomplishment anymore, it was just a marker of time. I looked down at my phone and saw that I had two text messages waiting for me. The first was from Stefan.

 _Stefan: Happy Birthday Care. I won't be in school today so I just wanted to wish you a great day and I'll make it up to you later_

I knew Stefan had something going on with Klaus at the moment so I didn't press him for the details. And the second text was from Tyler.

 _Tyler: Happy Birthday Care. Love you._

The last time I had had a full conversation with Tyler had been three weeks ago when I had thrown him out of my house and rescinded my invitation. He had been trying to defend his actions once again and I was tired of hearing it. But I still thought about him a lot. It was hard to go from texting and seeing someone every day to cutting them off entirely, and I found that I missed his company. But even though Tyler was usually on my mind, there was someone else who was even more so now. I couldn't help my thoughts from constantly turning to the handsome Original, the same man who had also invaded many of my dreams. They never made any sense to me, but they were always so vivid that I could almost feel like they were real. Last night I had dreamed of a beautiful cliff side overlooking an ocean. I was leaning against a small gnarled tree and Elijah Mikaelson came to sit beside me. He didn't say a word in the dream, he just took my hand and I laid my head against his shoulder. Feelings of peace and strength washed over me, contrasting severely with the reality of the situation in which Elijah Mikaelson was after me. And these dreams always left me exhausted and full of confusion. I tiredly got out of bed and got ready for school.

I pulled up in front of the school and just sat in my car for a moment, watching everyone else in the courtyard yelling and laughing like they didn't have a care in the world, and then my eyes met Tyler's. I sighed as I turned my car off and got out, knowing I would have to deal with him.

"I can't talk to you" I say as I try to walk by him but he takes my arm

"I now you're upset with me"

"Upset! And before you ask me to understand or to support you can you at least tell me what you plan to do about your sire bond to Klaus?'

"There is nothing I can do about it Care, but I know that it doesn't control me and I would never do anything to hurt you! I'm stronger than that"

"Okay? That's fine Tyler, but it didn't stop you from hurting me"

"That whole thing with Rebekah was messed up, but it wasn't anything with the sire bond. And I talked to Matt about it and he helped me to look at it from your point of view. I'm sorry that I hurt you Caroline. I love you" and my heart went out to him at his depressed expression, and I was so tired of being angry.

"I love you too Tyler, but I don't know if right now is the right time for us"

"That's okay, I know that you need time and I need to prove myself to you. But… I just… here…" he said and he took my hand and placed a small silk bag in it and then he pecked me on the cheek and walked away. I turned the bag over and a pretty silver charm bracelet fell into my hand. I smiled down at it as I saw the cheer symbol, a silver C and T, a wolf's head, and a heart. But then as I stared down at the twinkling silver I saw a flash of deep blue. It was a deep royal blue with swirls of darker blue and twinkles in it like staring up at a galaxy… but I examined all of the charms again and there was no trace of color on any of them. I shook my head to clear the image and looked up at the school. There were so many smiling faces going into the front doors which only caused my mood to plummet further. Before I could reconsider my actions I turned and hurried to my car, put the key in the ignition and sped from the parking lot. I drove around for hours before getting a text from Stefan asking to meet for lunch. Neither of us asked why the other wasn't in school, we just kept our topics light. I knew Stefan was going through his own turmoil with Elena's complicated relationship with Damon, which was making his revenge plot against Klaus a bit reckless And he filled me in on a situation with Jeremy being compelled the other day, and he didn't say it, but I knew he suspected Klaus was behind it, but that he had done so through Tyler. After lunch I walked around a couple of shops in town, even compelling a cashier that asked why I wasn't in school. Sometime in the afternoon I decided to return home.

I walked in the front door of my empty house and dropped my bag on the floor with a thump and a sigh.

"Surprise!" came a loud chorus of shouts from behind me and I jumped at the loud yell and spun to find Elena, Bonnie and Matt jumping into the hall wearing hats and carrying balloons and a poster.

"Happy Birthday Care!" Matt said with a big smile

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask in shock as I try to get my breath back

"Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art." Elena said with a fake pout as she placed a purple furry tiara on my head, "So change into warmer clothes, we're going to the falls."

"S'mores. Campfires." Bonnie added

"Cake" Elena says

"Just like when we were little" Bonnie said

"Except with Tequila!" Matt says as he shows me the huge bottle he brought and we all laugh

"Thanks guys, really um… I'm just not really feeling my birthday this year" I said sadly

"I'm sorry what? You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year" Bonnie laughed

"Yea and now it's just a reminder that I'm technically dead" I snap at Bonnie and I instantly regret it as her smile fades. I had just been feeling so crabby lately because I hadn't been sleeping, and with feeling crabby came all of the depressing thoughts that I tried so hard to ignore. "I didn't even like being seventeen. The only point of getting through seventeen was to get to eighteen. It's a filler year. I am stuck in a filler year" I said, unable to stop myself and getting more and more upset.

"You're not stuck Caroline" Elena tried to say

"Yea I am. But its ok and I will be fine. I am all good. I just need some time to wallow in it." I try to explain my need to be alone with the pint of Ben & Jerrys waiting for me in the freezer.

"I think I know what you need" Elena said as she wrapped an arm around me

"And what's that?" I asked with a sigh, knowing that when Elena got an idea in her head there was no talking her out of it.

"You'll just have to see when we get there" she smirked at me. And then I was poked and prodded until I consented to change into jeans, a tank and a warmer sweater, and then I was herded out the door.

We all piled into my car, but Elena insisted on driving since she was the only one who knew the new destination, and I sat in the back with my arms folded. I knew I was acting childish and ungrateful, and I hated it. As I watched the scenery go by and I listened to the chatter of my friends I felt my mood lift. I had people that loved me enough to force me out of the house and celebrate my birthday, and I resolved to be a better sport about it. We pulled onto the dirt road leading out of town, and about a mile down Elena pulled over to the side and got out.

"This isn't anywhere near the falls" I said as I looked around. I thought I knew where we were but I hadn't been this way in years.

"We're not going to the falls… we're going to a cemetery" Elena smirked

"What?" Bonnie asked

"Just trust me!" Elena sighed before she took off through the trees and we hurried to keep up. She seemed to know where she was going and after about fifteen minutes of walking we had in fact reached a cemetery, but it looked like an ancient one. Elena continued walking as she navigated her way through the headstones.

"There it is" Elena said after another ten minutes of walking and I saw we were heading toward an old mausoleum.

"This is creepy, even for us" Bonnie said as she opened the door

"No Caroline was right. Technically she's dead. Sorry." She said with a wince as she set the cake down and opened the lid, "But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life so you can move on with your new one" and I really considered what she said. Maybe she was right, and even if she wasn't it was worth a shot. So I removed the purple furry tiara from my head and placed it on a nearby statue.

"Okay… here lies Caroline Forbes." I start to say

"Cheerleader. Miss Mystic falls. 3rd grade hopscotch champion." Elena said with a smirk as she put candles on the cake.

"Friend. Daughter... Overachiever" Bonnie said with a smile as she walked closer to me.

"Mean girl… sometimes, no offense" Matt said.

"Eh none taken" I shrug

"She was 17 and she had a really good life. So rest in peace so that she can move forward. It's what you really need, it's what we all really need. So Amen… or cheers or whatever people say at the end of these" she laughed and Matt held up the now half empty bottle of tequila and we all cheered. We had all come to stand in a close circle and Elena was holding the cake full of unlit candles. "Bonnie?" she asked as she gestured to them and Bonnie closed her eyes and the flames came to life.

"Make a wish" Elena said quietly and I stared into the dancing flames with a smile. Elena had been right. I had been so focused on taking every possible opportunity to maintain my old life that I wasn't really living my new one. I smiled at my friends, taking in Elena and Bonnie's smiles and Matt's rather tipsy one and I knew that no matter what was in store for me that I would never have to face it alone. So I closed my eyes and blew out my candles, not really wishing for anything in particular, but just for more nights like this. Content, smiling and feeling loved.

After a few hours of passing the bottle around and telling stories the conversation had trailed off and I looked down at my wrist, noticing the sparkly silver in the light of the torches Bonnie had lit when the sun went down. In my tequila laden mind all I wanted to do was text Tyler, so I did…

 **Me: Heyyy**

 _Tyler: Hey Care. Hows ur birthday goin?_

 **Me: it would b better if yoou were hereee**

 _Tyler: Are you drunk?_

 **Me: Psshh no!**

 _Tyler: Where are you? I'll come get you_

 **Me: At my funeral.**

 **Me: Your bracelet is really pretty**

 _Tyler: I was hoping u'd like it_

 _Tyler: Wait your funeral? What?_

 _Tyler: Are you at the cemetery?_

 **Me: …yea**

"Caroline what are you doing?" Elena's voice rose and my head shot up from my phone

"What? Hmm? Nothing" I smiled guiltily

"Okay you're a bad sober liar and you're an even worse drunk liar" Elena said

"I might've texted Tyler" to which there are some groans, "What? I'm delicate!" I laugh

"Give her a break, you can't control what everyone does all the time" Bonnie said to Elena and it was met with silence

"Ouch Bon" Matt says

"I'm sorry I know it Caroline's birthday…"

"Yea it is and I just want to make sure she doesn't do something that she's going to regret"

"But it has nothing to do with you!"

"You guys are ruining a perfectly good funeral" Matt said as he got his feet to retrieve the bottle

"Your right… I'm sorry Care, I'm just going to go sleep it off" she said with a sigh as she got to her feet and slung her purse over her shoulder, "Happy Birthday Care" she with a smile to me before she left. There was a moment of awkward silence as the door closed behind her where Matt, Elena and I stared at each other, until Matt took a swig of the bottle and said, "Hey Care, remember in 5th grade when you sang in the Christmas show with your skirt tucked into your underwear?"

"Oh my god I had totally forgotten about that!" Elena broke out in laughter and I joined her despite my blush.

"I'm just glad I wore a good pair that day!" I said with a snort, and just like that the awkwardness was dispelled. I walked over to the bench and laid down with my head on Elena's lap as we continued to try to outdo each other with embarrassing stories.

"Wait how is Bonnie going to get home?" I asked suddenly during one of the lulls in the conversation, "We only brought one car"

"We're actually just at the back of the main cemetery, I drove the long way to through you guys off" Elena said, "Her house is like a ten minute walk from here, yours is like twenty" she said as she looked down at me.

"It probably should have occurred to me to ask when she left!" I giggled… and then I heard footsteps approaching us. I shot up my head up from Elena's lap and faced the entrance of the mausoleum, but the doors opened to reveal Tyler.

"Sorry, didn't mean to crash the party" he said when he sees us all sitting there

"Then don't" Matt says, his tone hard. I guess there was a fight there I didn't know about.

"No its ok" I said to Matt as I got to my feet.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? It's kind of important?" he asks me. I look back at Elena and Matt, both wearing rather stony expressions and I sigh and nod my head before following him out. He leads me through some more tombstones until the mausoleum is out of sight and then turns back to me.

"I just wanted to say again what I said this morning. Klaus can't control me, not when it comes to you. I won't let him!" he said passionately

"Tyler…" I sigh, realizing he's still doesn't get it. And why is he suddenly being so adamant that Klaus can't control him when it comes to me? That's never come up in any of our fights. I thought it was weird this morning when he mentioned it but here he was mentioning it again. Forcefully. "Maybe we just weren't meant to be together. Maybe we just have to accept that and move on?" I say gently, finally saying what I had been thinking for a while, but it still hurt to say.

"I'm not moving on from anything. I love you" he murmurs as he moves closer to me. He leans in closer until he starts to kiss me gently. I'm surprised by how good it feels, the familiarity and the comfort of it makes me smile when he breaks away and I see that he is smiling too. I had really missed him, and that may just be the tequila talking, but I let the kiss intensify. He started to kiss away from my lips and down my neck. I wrapped my arms tighter around him as I sighed… until I felt a piercing pain where Tyler had just been kissing me and I gasped, "Ow!" I pushed him away from me and brought my hand to my neck, feeling wetness, and when I pulled it away I saw blood covering my hand. Tyler stared at my neck in shock and covered his mouth.

"What just happened?" I asked him bewildered, wondering what possessed him to bite me. I started to feel a strong burning sensation in my neck as the realization dawned on me, Tyler's bite would kill me.

"Did you just BITE me?" I yelled at him as I backed away to lean against a tree dizzily, "Oh my god" I whispered as I started to slide down the tree to the ground.

"No no no no Caroline," Tyler tried to say desperately, "I am so sorry Care ple-"

"Just get away from me! Don't touch me!" I scream as he started to reach down for me

"I'm so sorry!" he said again as he backed away from me

"Just go!" I screamed again and he finally turned and blurred away. I sat against the tree for another minute and tried to calm my breathing. A gentle mist had started to fall and the cool water felt so good against my hot skin that I shut my eyes, thinking I could just rest here.

A painful jolt from my neck forced my eyes open and I brought my hand to my neck to try and stop the bleeding as I slowly got to my feet. I needed to get home. I needed to get home and have my mom call Stefan, he would know what to do. I fished the keys out of my pocket and started weaving through the tombstones. I couldn't seem to pick my feet up enough so they kept getting caught on roots and stones, causing me to trip each time. My progress continued to slow as I felt the poison spread, and my panic increased along with it. I grabbed onto tree limbs and trunks as I finally exited the cemetery and I found the path to the car; I could've cried with relief when it finally came into view. The gentle mist, which had once been so comforting and cooling, had increased to an uncomfortable drizzle, pulling my clothes down and making them heavier. My hair dripped into my eyes and over my neck, causing me to hiss in pain when it brushed my wound. When the car was finally unlocked and I sat behind the wheel my vision swam dangerously, I took a deep breath to calm myself and pulled the car onto the road and started to drive slowly. The trees started to dance menacingly on either side of the muddy road and the road itself seemed to bend and twist. I kept blinking, trying to clear my visions, but I didn't think it had anything to do with my sight. And then out of nowhere a giant bolt of lightning strikes the ground right in front of my car. I panic and force the wheel sideways, and I can hear screaming as the car suddenly starts flying. I can feel myself flip over and over as the car flies down, hitting tree after tree. In the first jolt of a tree my head slammed against the window, the second jolt caused the seatbelt to rip and burn the skin of my shoulder, and the third jolt broke my leg when the car finally landed upside down.

It would have been welcoming to surrender to the unconsciousness that was waiting for me, but as water slowly started to pool inside of the car I realized that I had landed upside down in the ravine that flowed from the falls. My dizziness was the least of my problems when I realized after a minute that I wasn't healing. My broken leg throbbed and shot pain up and down my leg and my shoulder burned as my head ached painfully. I carefully unbuckled my seat belt and tried to brace myself for the landing but my leg wouldn't support my weight so I fell face first into the pool of water. I dragged myself to the passenger door but it wouldn't budge because the crash had caused it to cave in on itself, and no matter how much strength I applied to it, I was too weak. The driver's side door was wedged against a boulder and wouldn't budge either, so I crawled into the back of the car. I searched frantically for anything to help me break the back window and finally I found a snow scraper, having once scoffed at my mom for buying it for me in the mild Virginia winters I now blessed her. The water, now up to my waist, was threatening my sanity as my awareness of the poison came back to me tenfold with a burst of dizziness. I tried to steady my shaking hand as I started to beat against the back window, using all of my limited strength and screaming with frustration when I didn't even create a crack. My frustration turned to desperation as the water continued to rise inside of the car, swirling with my blood. I knew the water wouldn't kill me, but I didn't think drowning would be pleasant, and eventually if no one found me the venom would finish me off. And finally as the water rose above my head I felt myself succumbing to the unconsciousness that had been just out of reach before.

* * *

 **Much like Caroline, it is also my birthday weekend, so I apologize for the delay in uploading! And just a reminder, if you ask me questions in a review as a guest I have no way of answering them! No matter how much I want to. So just quickly create an account and ask me questions to your hearts content!**

 **And I hope anyone else in the northeast area like me is ready for the amount of snow coming for us over the next few days. Stay safe!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	10. Identity Fraud

I was officially relieving Rebekah of her spy duties. I had been waiting at the falls for two hours now, and there was no sign of Caroline or her friends. Rebekah swore she had overheard Elena and Bonnie at lunch saying how they planned to cheer Caroline up with a night at the falls for her birthday. With a sigh I took out my phone and dialed, listening to it ring I walked away from the thundering waterfall.

"Hello?" a quiet voice answered.

"Where is she?" I asked without preamble

"And why should I tell you?" the voice asked in an irritated tone

"You already know the answer to that, don't you?" and there was an exasperated sigh on the other end, "I really do not have time to argue about this again right now. Please… tell me where she is"

"She's at the cemetery" the voice said after a minute of silence, "I don't like this Elijah. She's my friend"

"I know that, and I appreciate your cooperation, however unwilling it may be given"

"Whatever. Like I said she's at the cemetery"

"Thank you" I said sincerely before hanging up and pocketing the phone. I blurred through the woods to the back of the cemetery and I was immediately assaulted by the smell of blood. Caroline's blood. A horrified chill went up my spine as I remembered the last time I had smelled her fresh blood. Unfortunately a gentle rain had started to fall and it was distorting the trail I tried to follow. I fingered leaves and brushed headstones, looking for any trace of blood to lead me to her, and then in the distance I heard a car start. I pricked my ears for any further sound and I heard tires on mud and rocks. I concentrated further on the sound and walked in the general direction of the sound, but by the time I reached the road the car was gone. I roared in frustration as I punched a nearby tree, trying to heighten my hearing for any sound of tires over the drizzling rain. A minute later I was jolted by a loud clash of lightning and the screeching of tires, followed by a series of crashes. I ran in the direction that the crash had come from, careful not to run too fast for fear of missing the car through any trees. I kept running down the muddy road as the rain continued to beat down heavily but I couldn't find anything. I slowed down and threaded my way through the trees, concentrating on any sound that was out of the ordinary… and then I heard the faintest of tapping sounds. It sounded like plastic against glass, out of place in a forest, and I raced toward it.

I burst through a clearing of trees and looked down into a deep ravine, and in the middle of a few feet of rushing water was Caroline's upside down car. I felt light headed as relief flooded my system and I jumped down the rocks to land in the thigh deep water. I looked through a window to make sure she was still inside and I was surprised to find her unconscious under the water inside. She should have been able to easily break through the glass, even with a werewolf bite. I quickly punched through the rear window glass and pulled her from the car against the tide of the water. I gathered her into my arms and brushed the wet hair from her face. As the rain started to fall against her face she opened her eyes slightly as she coughed up water, and as her eyes met mine, she smiled up at me before losing consciousness again. I saw blood running down the side of her neck and chest with the rain water and I looked closely at the wound Tyler had given her. It was red and angry and I could see the venom had already spread pretty far. She was also covered in an assortment of other wounds from the crash and I finally understood just how badly she was hurt. I pressed my lips to her forehead and jumped us out of the ravine and blurred to the mansion to find Niklaus.

* * *

All I wanted to do was sleep, but something was moving me, forcing me further from the comfort of sleep. And annoying little pellets of water were falling onto my face as I found myself wrapped in a warm and strong embrace. As the pellets of water continued to fall I couldn't help but open my eyes and my gaze found a pair of warm brown eyes that enveloped me in a feeling of safety and I smiled up at them… until the blackness crept back and took me.

It was raining again. The water was pelting me in the face and then in the back, being whipped around the strong wind. With every flash of lightning I saw that I was in a bare and muddy landscape, and I had a feeling that I needed to find something. No, someone. I needed to find my friend that had fallen. I am trying to run through the mud, calling his name, but the hem of my long dress is weighed down by water and mud and I stumble over and over. And with the next flash of lightning I find myself struggling back through the mud carrying something over my shoulder. I knew I needed to get him to safety because he had been hurt. He was getting heavier and heavier and I felt my legs give way as he dragged me down… but I was caught from behind. I was spun around and in a flash of lightning I was staring into big brown eyes… And then I was sitting up in bed, gasping for breath. It had felt so real. I could almost feel a dampness to my skin and a deep seated exhaustion throughout my body; but then the real reason for my exhaustion came rushing back to me and I brought my hand to my neck to check Tyler's Hybrid bite. My hand found only smooth skin where Tyler's bite had torn through my neck.

"We healed you" a deep voice murmured from beside me and I gasped in surprise, I hadn't noticed anyone else in the room. Elijah was sitting in an armchair by the bed, a book open on his lap, and his eyes on me. I edged to the other side of the bed slowly to get some more distance between us and I pulled the sheet higher to cover me. I looked down at myself and noticed I was wearing a pink T-shirt I had never seen before and I felt that my jeans had been replaced by shorts and my faced burned in mortification.

"Did you… did you take my clothes?" I asked, thinking my voice sounded too loud in the pregnant silence of the room

"No Caroline, Rebekah saw to that" he replied and I nodded, feeling a bit better about a girl changing me than… Elijah, my heart raced at the thought.

"What happened?"

"Tyler bit you"

"Yea I was there for that part…" and he grinned at my sarcasm, "what happened after my car crashed?"

"I found you in the ravine and I broke in your window to get to you. I freed you and brought you here so Niklaus could heal you"

"Oh… um, thank you" I said quietly, surprised that he would do something like that for me. An awkward silence descended over us and I avoided his gaze that was stilled trained on me.

"So…" I start to say before my voice trails off, I had never been comfortable in awkward silences.

"I thought it was time that we talked" he finally said and I turned my attention more fully toward him, but still maintaining that distance across the bed.

"About what?"

"About why I have been trying to speak with you for weeks now, and why I came back to Mystic Falls"

"Okay…"

"I would appreciate it if you could let me say my peace before interrupting or arguing" he warned me and I nodded my head after a minute in agreement and he continued, "I met a young human girl in the year 1504. She was the daughter of a wealthy Baron and his wife in England. She was beautiful, inside and out" he smiled as he spoke of this girl and I couldn't help the stab of irrational jealousy that shot through me. "She changed me and she changed my family"

"What happened to her?"

"She was taken from me, and it took me 500 years to find her again" and at his words I feel instantly chilled and I look back into his eyes to see them boring into mine.

"Elijah I-" I start to say as I edge further away from him and what he's about to say.

"Caroline it was you. It was you that I met in 1504. You were born to Lord William Forbes and Lady Elizabeth Rigali" and that name stopped me short.

"Rigali? That's my mom's maiden name"

"I know. Once I found you I had to make sure it was real. Your mother is a descendent of the Rigali line from Italy and England and your father is a descendent from the Forbes line from England. We just need to determine what happened to you and how you are here now. I wonder what kind of magic it was that-"

"Just stop!" I interrupted him. He had gotten a bit lost in his theories and I panicked more and more as he continued talking as though it had been decided that I was this long lost love of Elijah Mikaelson. "I am not who you think I am! I am just Caroline Forbes! I've never even left Mystic Falls" I say as I push off the blankets and get to my feet on the opposite side of the bed from Elijah. "I get that you want to find this girl, and I get that she looks like me or something, but I am NOT HER!" I see my shoes sitting near the foot of the bed and I quickly put them on.

"Caroline wait… I didn't explain this how I would've liked. I apologize, I- I didn't mean to scare you" he said as he got his feet as well, but stayed where he was.

"You didn't scare me, you just have the wrong person" I insisted again

"Caroline I have proof!" he said more excitedly as I started to leave the room, but I didn't want to hear any more of this insanity. I finally made it to the door and I wrenched it open, but I paused before I walked through it.

"Thank you again… for saving me" I said before I finally walked out of the room and down the hallway toward the stairs. If I wasn't a vampire I wouldn't have been able to hear what he said as I walked down the stairs, "That's what I do".

* * *

 **I know this chapter is short, but I was dealing with serious writers block and a bunch of grad school interview stuff so I've been like a busy crazy person for two weeks. I thought it would be better to post what I had then try and force it to be longer. I'm hoping have the next chapter up by the end of the weekend and hopefully to get back on track with the updating. Don't give up on the story!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	11. Evidence

"Caroline! Oh thank god!" my mom cried when I walked in the front door, and she crushed me against her.

"Mom! What's going on?" I asked with wide eyes, meeting Stefan's questioning gaze over my mom's shoulder.

"What's going on? Caroline it's nearly 5 in the morning. Nobody could find you for hours and then Damon found your car at the bottom of the ravine-", my mom started saying as she ushered me into the kitchen.

"I'm fine mom. Tyler bit me but-"

"WHAT!" Stefan and Damon both exclaimed as my mom's mouth fell open.

"We have to go to Klaus and-", Stefan began to say but I had to cut him off to get the rest of my story out.

"I just came from the Mikaelson Mansion Stef. After Tyler bit me I found my way back to the car and I tried to drive myself home, but when it started to rain harder and the lightning started I veered off the road and crashed down into the ravine. And then… Elijah found me"

"He was following you?"

"Apparently" I sighed as I dropped into one of the counter stools, "Mom can I have a blood bag?"

"Of course honey" and she went to the fridge to get me a bag of B negative, while her back was turned I shot Stefan a look that said I would tell him the whole story later and he nodded in understanding.

"Ugh, I feel so drained" I sighed once my mom had given me the blood bag.

"You do look tired Caroline… whose clothes are those?"

"Oh, they're Rebekah's. Mine were, um, bloody…"

"You were bitten by a Hybrid Care, I would imagine the effects are much more severe than a werewolf bite"

"Hey! Werewolf bites are pretty shitty!" Damon said from his seat at the kitchen table and Stefan smirked at him.

"How about we have Klaus bite you and you can compare the feeling from Tyler's werewolf bite?" Stefan suggested and Damon just scowled at him in return.

"You should get some rest honey, your body needs to heal" my mom suggested as she brushed some hair off my forehead, and at the familiar and comforting gesture I felt a genuine wave of exhaustion hit me.

"Yea, your right. I'll see you guys tomorrow" and Stefan nodded as he and Damon got to their feet and walked out of the kitchen and out the front door.

My mom led me down the hall and into my bedroom. She picked out some pajamas for me and left me alone to wash up. I went into my bathroom and groaned when I saw my reflection. My hair was matted and had dried blood in it and I had some mascara under my eyes. I took off the borrowed shirt and saw that most of my body and legs had been washed off, but there was still random smears of dried blood in places. My muscles ached as I removed the rest of the clothes and got into the shower. The water was scalding hot, and I slid down the wall to sit under the stream of water as my thoughts raced. In one day I had turned 18 years old, been to my own funeral, been bitten by my venomous ex-boyfriend, totaled my car and was saved by an incredibly sexy and misguided Original. He was so convinced that I was this same girl that he met 500 years ago. Granted we did have the same name and I'm guessing we must look similar, but other than that I couldn't see how he could be so set in his ideas… but he did say that he had proof. Damnit! I probably should have heard him out. The sooner I could convince him he was wrong, the sooner he would leave me alone. And I wasn't a runner. I didn't cower away from difficult situations, so why was I doing it now? I shook my head in frustration as I got to my feet to finish my shower.

I dressed in the pajamas my mom had picked for me, and I walked out of the bathroom as I toweled dried my hair…. And I had to stifle a gasp as I saw Stefan laying on my bed.

"Jesus Stefan"

"Was this not what you meant earlier?" he asked worriedly

"No… no it was. I wanted to talk to you away from my mom"

"You're just exhausted" he observed as he got to his feet, "We can talk tomorrow… or later today I guess, its fine"

"No, if I don't tell you now then I might forget" and he nodded as he sat back down on the edge of the bed while I leaned against the pillows.

"I think I remember him pulling me from the car, but then it kind of gets confused with this dream I was having… anyway, I woke up in a bed at the mansion with him sitting by the bed reading. He told me that Klaus had healed me and Rebekah had changed my ruined clothes. He told me that it was time we had a talk, about the reason that he came back to Mystic falls"

"Because of you" he said and I nodded

"He said that he was in love with a girl 500 years ago, a human girl. He told me how beautiful she was and how she was kidnapped… and he told me that I was her!"

"So that's what this is about? He thinks you are his long lost love! I'm sure you told him that's impossible"

"Yea I did, but he told me that he had proof"  
"What was it?"

"I don't know. I guess I panicked, and I left"

"Why? Wouldn't it be better if you saw his proof and could dispute his claim?"

"Yea it would… but then a small part of me wondered if it was true… I mean one of my best friends is a witch and the other is an ancient mystical reincarnation creature, and if that can happen in a small town in Virginia then what if this could be true"

"Okay I dare you to call Elena that the next time you see her!" Stefan burst out laughing and I scowled at him while I tried to hide my own smile, "And you do have a point Care, we just don't know enough about this yet" he said when he calmed down.

"He did say something though… He said that I was born to a Lord William Forbes and to a Lady Elizabeth Rigali"

"Rigali? Isn't that your mom's maiden name?"

"Yea it is! He said she was a descendant from that line from Italy and that my dad was a direct descendant from the Forbes line in England"

"So he traced your ancestry? That's… thorough"

"Tell me about it… but what if it's true?"

"If what he's saying is true then we'll figure it out Care" he smiled at me

"You won't disown me if I turn out to be the long lost love of a psycho Original?" I asked as my eyes watered, the relief settled over me as Stefan reached over and took my hand.

"I could never disown you Care, who else would keep me in check?" he chuckled

"I'm sure Damon and Elena could do the job between then two of them," I smirked before continuing with a frown, "But there's something else… I, um, I've been having weird dreams lately"  
"What kind of dreams?"  
"I'm not sure, but they're like super clear and vivid and I remember everything the next morning. But they're not like… normal… like I'm not normal. They always take place at this like old castle, and I'm always wearing these wicked long dresses"

"Do you think they're memories or something?"

"I was starting to think that it was Elijah, giving me the dreams to try and convince me, but now I don't know"

"We'll figure this out, don't worry" he said, squeezing the hand he was holding before getting to his feet, "Now you need to get some sleep, you look like death"

"Wow, that's what a girl wants to hear" I said sarcastically as I got under the covers.

"If I can't make fun of my sister then who can I make fun of?" he chuckled as he opened my bedroom door, "Text me when you wake up and we can decide what we want to do. Feel better Care"

"Mhmm" I murmured back as my eyes closed and I settled against my pillow. I wasn't even awake to hear him close the door.

* * *

"So this wasn't a complete waste then" Niklaus said as he strode into the library a few hours after Caroline left.

"I wouldn't classify it as a success either" I replied as I looked over the latest report of our vineyard in Italy.

"You need to be more optimistic brother. You have saved the girl and planted the seeds of curiosity in her mind. I wouldn't be surprised if at the next meeting she was more open to the idea"

"Since when are you the optimistic brother?" Rebekah asked as she entered the library and joined Niklaus on the couch.

"I must take on the role when the eldest is all gloom and doom about his uncooperative love"

"I can't really blame her" Rebekah said, and I looked up at her, "Well think about it, if someone you had never met before, but who had a brutal reputation, came to you and told you that you and she were lovers but you had no memory of it, wouldn't you be suspicious?"

"Of course I would, but I would endeavor to collect all of the evidence first"

"You remember how Caroline is, act first ask questions later… and knowing Caroline, she is beating herself up by not hearing what you had to say" she reasoned and I had to agree.

"I will just have to keep trying until she finally hears what I have to say, and once she does she can decide what to do"

"You're leaving the choice up to her?" Niklaus asked with raised eyebrows

"Yes… I do not know what sort of magic is at work here… I do not know if she can even regain her memories-"

"All the more reason to never give up brother!" Niklaus exclaimed

"I will not have her put at risk"

"But once she remembers then we shall finally know what happened while you were gone"

"We know what happened brother, our father took her and… killed her I suppose"

"You suppose! But you do not know! And then how is she here now? And why?"

"Well then I suppose it will be in your best interest to continue helping me" I say to Niklaus as I get to my feet and exit the room. Everything he had said was true, and I was burning to know what had happened to her and why I was getting this second chance… and I wasn't willing to do anything rash to ruin this second chance. But I needed more proof…

* * *

I sat in the cafeteria beside Stefan, eating my yogurt and cheeseburger as I watched Elena and Bonnie walk toward us with their own trays.  
"Caroline you have the weirdest taste buds" Bonnie laughed when she saw my tray, which also consisted of a carrot stick and a cookie.

"Well I needed to stay in shape when I was a human, so I got used to eating healthy, and now I don't have to worry about gaining weight so why not enjoy it?" I smirked and the other two rolled their eyes, clearly jealous.

"Then why not just go all out fatty foods?" Stefan asked

"Because that would look weird if I stayed the same but drastically changed my eating habits… plus, I like yogurt and carrots"

"God I wish you guys could gain weight" Elena sighed and me and Stefan smirked, he reached over to my tray and picked up my cheeseburger, taking a huge bite out of it before putting it back down. Elena narrowed her eyes at him as she started to cut up her salad and Bonnie had to hide her laughter behind her ice tea.

"Anyway… what are we going to do about dresses?" I asked after a minute of silence

"What dresses?" Bonnie asked

"For the decade dance! The theme is the twenty's so we need to go out and get flapper dresses"

"Oh right. Well I already have one. My aunt Jenna had one from when she went to school and it's gorgeous"

"Alright. Bon?"

"I'm sorry Care… I'm wearing my great grandma's dress…" and I groaned. Not only did I not have a dress, I had no one to go with.

"Who am I supposed to go with now?" I whined as I looked sideways at Stefan, pouting a bit.

"No… No way. No Care I do not want to go dress shopping!"

"You need someone to go dress shopping with?" A voice said from behind me and I spun in my chair. Rebekah was standing behind me with a junior from the team, both holding trays.

"Umm yea, I do" I said slowly. I hadn't really talked to Rebekah since the night of the bonfire all those weeks ago and it was bit awkward as she stood there now with Elena glaring at her.

"I was planning on running to DC this weekend to look for a dress, and no one else will have dresses from there. If you want to come?" she smiled and I found myself smiling back. I had gravitated toward this girl when I first met her, but that whole mess with Tyler had driven a wedge between our budding friendship. Tyler was no longer an issue in my life, despite his efforts, so there was no more reason for the wedge… but that didn't mean that I suddenly trusted her, she was still Elijah's sister.

"Who else is going?" leave it to Stefan to ask the important question that I didn't even think of.

"So far just me… Your welcome to come too Stef" She smiled at him and I heard Elena scoff from behind me, and Stefan heard her too because he half turned to look at her.

"You know what, I think I will. What do you think Care?" he asked me

"Um… yea, that sounds like fun. Thanks for the invite" I smiled at her and she brightened further.

"Awesome! I'll pick you both up from the Boarding House Saturday morning?" and when we both nodded she smiled again and walked away.

"What do you two think you're doing?" Elena hissed once Rebekah had chosen a seat with a few of the other teammates.

"What? Caroline needs a dress and Rebekah offered to take her to get one" Stefan responded blandly, obviously avoiding Elena's issue.

"She's just doing this to sink her claws into you and Caroline" Elena argued

"Well then I guess it's a good thing that what I do is no longer your business" Stefan said as he got to his feet and walked out of the cafeteria, all of us watching his departure with open mouths. He had told me a few days ago that he was officially done trying with Elena, since she was clearly so in love with Damon now. But even I had to admit that Elena had a tendency to get possessive and play mind games. And then Elena turned her stare on me.

"Don't look at me! I was about to politely refuse…" I said as I took another big bite of my cheeseburger. Elena and Bonnie both looked down at their food and didn't say anything for the remainder of the lunch period. I was almost sure I would've said no. I'm sure of it. Her generous offer and genuine smile had not been swaying me in any way… right?


	12. Field Trips

"Let's go, let's go!' Stefan shouted out the car window when I walked out the front door.

"I thought Rebekah was picking us up?" I asked as I slid into the seat beside him.

"She was, but she texted me that Elijah needed her car so I volunteered to drive"

"Oh" I wondered what Elijah could've needed her car for? He had a nice car of his own.

"Yea I guess his had a flat and he needed to get to the airport"

"Where is he going?"

"Didn't ask… why do you care?" Stefan asked with a smirk, looking over at me as I avoided his gaze

"I don't, I was just making conversation" I mumbled

"Sure. It's not because you've developed a little crush of your own on him?"

"Of course not!"

"Mhmm. That's why you haven't stopped mentioning him for the past six days"

"Well I didn't realize I was bothering you with my problems" I said, miffed at him

"Don't be like that Care. It's natural to be drawn to someone that is clearly obsessed with you. And I'm sure his face doesn't hurt his chances either"

"Did you just compliment another man's looks?" I laughed

"I am confident enough in my masculinity to admit that Elijah is a handsome man" Stefan said in mock seriousness before we both broke out in laughter. Then Stefan was pulling into the Originals drive way, and even though I knew Elijah wasn't home I couldn't help the way my heart sped up. Stefan honked and we waited quietly as Rebekah rushed out the door. She was wearing a cute flowered dress with a leather jacket and she beamed at us as she rushed to the car and got in the back.

"Hey guys" she said excitedly

"Hey Rebekah" Stefan and I responded, then I turned and smiled at her, "I love your dress"

"Thanks! You can borrow it sometime if you want"

"Thanks"

"So do you want to tell me where we're going?" Stefan asked in the rearview mirror.

"Oh right…" and Rebekah talked Stefan through the directions to Washington DC, it would take about two hours to get there. I had been expecting the ride to be long and awkward but Rebekah was surprisingly good company and kept up a steady stream of banter until I had become comfortable enough to reciprocate.

"Alright take this exit… yea" Rebekah told Stefan, and then directed him through the outskirts of downtown DC before we finally settled in front of an apartment building in a very stately neighborhood.

"Who lives here?"

"Technically the property belongs to Elijah, but he's in England right now" Rebekah said as she got out of the car, "I figured we could stay the night"

"But I didn't pack for an overnight stay" I said as I followed her up the front steps of the red brick building

"That's ok, I have a room here and a full closet so you can borrow some of my stuff. I just didn't think we'd want to make the trip back after a full day of shopping, and what if we didn't find the dresses?" She said as she put the key in the lock and then swung the door open. The front entryway was beautiful and simplistic, with exposed brick and a vintage light fixture. The apartment was surprisingly bigger than it looked on the outside and I left Stefan and Rebekah in the entry way as I continued further into the apartment. The staircase was ornate and made of dark hard wood and the high ceiling boasted an even bigger vintage chandelier. The furnishings were sparse but tasteful, and surprisingly warm.

"Are you ready to head to the shops now Caroline?" Rebekah asked from behind me.

"Yea, let's go" I smiled, and Stefan groaned in resignation and followed us out the door.

The shops were about a mile from Elijah's apartment so we were able to walk to them. We dragged Stefan into a vintage shop, and two costume shops before he begged for a lunch break. We settled at a table at an outdoor café. It may have been the end of October but it was a sunny and warm day, and the screwdrivers Rebekah compelled for us did not go unappreciated.

"So do you come to DC a lot?" I asked her after we had ordered

"Eh, if I want to do some serious shopping I usually go to New York, but DC does have its charms"  
"It is beautiful here… the cobbled streets and the old buildings, it reminds me of Mystic Falls though"

"I think that's part of the reason Elijah bought the property"

"Because of Mystic Falls?"

"Yea…"

"Why would he want to be reminded of Mystic Falls?" I asked Rebekah curiously, I thought he only came back to find me.

"We were all born there"

"As humans?" Stefan asked, shocked

"No as bunnies… yes as humans" Rebekah said sarcastically

"It's funny, I've known of you guys… well apparently met you guys almost 100 years ago, and I've never thought about you being human" Stefan mused

"Then I suppose Niklaus's master plan of ruthlessness has worked" Rebekah chuckled

"So it is just an act" I grinned

"You were the only one who ever thought that" Rebekah laughed as our food arrived. Her attention was diverted but Stefan met my eyes as my heart rate sped up. She had casually just referenced the past for the first time to me, and it was different to hear someone other than Elijah mention it. I dug into my Chicken Alfredo as Rebekah continued to talk, obviously unaware of the effect her words had had on me. After lunch Stefan announced that he was abandoning us to our task and that he would meet us back at the apartment at six, so Rebekah and I took off further into downtown DC and Stefan headed in the other direction.

"Should we try this one?" Rebekah asked as she pointed into the window of a very expensive looking store.

"But this is a Bridal store" I observed

"I know, but sometimes they have the most darling vintage styles"

"We can try it but I wouldn't hold your breath" I sighed as we walked in… and sure enough Rebekah found the most gorgeous 1920's gown. It was floor length and cream colored, covered in pearls and diamonds and even an authentic feathered broach under the bust. I grumbled jealously as she purchased it and she chuckled as she told the clerk where to deliver it.

"You could've bought the other one!" she said as we walked out the door

"First of all I do not have $2,000 to drop on a dress for a school dance… and I didn't love the color"

"Blush looks great on you"

"Elena says the same thing, but I've always gravitated more towards blue" I said and Rebekah snorted, "What?"

"Oh nothing" she smirked as she avoided my gaze while looking into store windows. She dragged me down some dingy back alleys, insisted that the hidden gems are hidden for a reason, and I didn't believe her until we stumbled upon a shop that looked like it started in the 1800s'.

"What can I do for you girls?" the elderly shop owner smiled at us as the bell rang overhead when we entered.

"Good afternoon. My friend and I were searching for an authentic 1920's dress, do you have anything like that?" Rebekah said, sweet as pie as she returned the shop owners smile

"Oh of course. I specialize in dresses of that nature" she said as she started leading the way through the small store to the back, where she pulled open a dark purple curtain and revealed another half of the store. "Where you looking for something like a Flapper dress or more like an evening gown?"

"Um… a flapper dress please" I answered and Rebekah shook her head, she had been trying to convince me to get a gown like hers since she found it.

"Those are along the left wall dear," the shopkeeper said as she pointed, "and the dressing room is on the back wall. Holler if you need anything dears" and then she was waddling her way to the front of the store again.

"Alright it looks like these are separated by size… what size are you?"

"Six"

"Hmm, I would've said four" she said as she took a look at my waist, and I was oddly flattered. We sorted through dresses for a few minutes in silence, giggling at times as we showed each other some truly interesting options. "Alright, I have five, how many do you have?"

"Three"

"Good start. Let's go Forbes, in the dressing room" she ordered and I giggled.

"God you are such a princess" I teased as I did as she said. She settled into a chair outside the curtain while I stripped out of my jeans and sweater and tried on the first one.

"No way!" I said through the curtain, I looked in the mirror as the peacock blue dress barely hid my breasts and bunched a bit at the waist.

"You have to show me, that's the rules" she replied and I threw open the curtain to show her and she giggled, "I guess you were right, you are a six"

"You picked me a four didn't you?" I sighed and she nodded. I shook my head, muttering as I snapped the curtain closed again.

"I forgot you had a bust and a figure, I apologize" she giggled through the curtain and I froze again. This is the second time she referenced something that she shouldn't have known about me.

"Rebekah?" I asked hesitantly

"Yea?"

"Is what your bother told me… is what he said true?" and I was met with silence. I zipped up the side of the second dress and opened the curtain. Rebekah was sitting in her chair with her mouth open a bit in surprise.

"Well I… I mean technically- he didn't want me to-"

"He didn't want you to talk to me about it?" I guessed and she nodded, "Just tell me one thing… Is what he's saying true?" and again she nodded. I nodded absentmindedly as I focused on the floor, trying to calm my breathing.

"Please don't stress out. That's not what this trip was about and I don't want to ruin it!" Rebekah said in a rush as she got to her feet. I met her gaze again and saw that there was fear in them… and suddenly I was being carried in someone's arms. My head felt heavy and my body hurt everywhere, but nowhere near as much as my neck did. It throbbed and was oozing blood along the shoulder of my gown.

"Rebekah!" a deep voice shouted from above me, and I could hear the rumbling voice through the chest I was nestled against

"What in the hell happened to- Oh my god Elijah, did you bite her?" a female voice shrieked and I felt soft cold hands brush over my feverish cheeks and chest, "Caroline? Say something! Are you alright?" Rebekah asked me as I struggled to bring her face into focus. Her hair hung down in long loose waves and I saw an ornate ruby choker adorning her neck… and then the image swam in front of me and I was again looking at the Rebekah with straight hair and a cute flowered dress. "Are you alright? Caroline?" and then I noticed that I was on the floor.

"What just happened?" I asked as she helped me to my feet

"You just kind of fainted a bit… I guess. I'm not really sure. You weren't unconscious you just weren't responding to me… It was weird" she said as I slumped into her chair

"So are you going to tell me what that was?" she asked as she kneeled in front of me, and I stopped myself short of telling her. I wasn't sure what this meant, especially combined with my dreams, and I didn't trust Rebekah enough yet to confide this in her.

"I think it's just because I haven't had blood in a few days" I said lamely, but by the softening of Rebekah's face I knew she believed me.

"How many days?"

"Four I think"

"Four! Caroline, as a baby vampire you should be having some blood every day. How are you dealing with the cravings?"

"I've never had a problem with the cravings… except for the first day I was turned"

"Did you hurt someone?" she asked in a quiet voice

"No… I killed someone" I whispered as a chill went up my spine. Sometimes I still thought about the way that boys eyes had stared blankly out, but saw nothing, and it was because of me.

"It wasn't your fault Caroline"

"I know… and I've learned to accept what happened. But it's what motivated me to gain such control over my urges. That, and some help from my dad" I said bitterly

"What happened with your dad?"

"You're going to need to buy me a drink before we get this deep into the family drama" I laugh and she cracks a smile

"That can be arranged, as soon as you choose a damn dress! Skip the rubbish and try on the red one next"

"You don't like the black one?" I ask as I gesture down to myself

"It's a good back up, but I think the red would look even better"

"Fine" I grumbled as I returned to the dressing room to try the red one… and naturally that was the one I ended up picking.

* * *

"Mr. Mikaelson, it's great to see you again so soon lad" Yardsly said as I exited the plane and walked across the tarmac to the waiting car.

"And you Yardsly" I smiled at the familiar old man as he took my bag and placed it in the trunk.

"Where are we off to?" he asked as he slid into the driver's seat

"The House of Lords"

"Yes sir" he said and then we were off. Yardsly had been with our family for almost 40 years and we couldn't ask for a more discrete and loyal servant, especially after I had saved his wife after a car accident in the 80s. He never failed to address me as both sir and lad in the same dizzying sentence, and he also never failed to offer wise and fair counsel when it was asked of him, and silence when it was not. The ride through the city was relatively short and then we were in front of the House of Lords. It had long since stopped being a meeting house where major decisions were made, but it still retained all of the archives that pertained to the important families in England. I had already found the proof of Caroline's current parent's lineage, now I just needed to make a copy of it and possibly find a bit more proof. I got out of the car and made my way up to the entrance, walking through the revolving door and up to the guard station.

"I am sorry Sir but the building is closing in fifteen minutes so we are not admitting any guests at this time"

"I am not a guest I a member" I replied as I showed them my identification.

"Very good My Lord" the guard said as he rushed to his feet and nodded to the gaud further down the hall to allow me to pass. Members of the House of Lords could still come and go as they pleased without an escorted tour, and I had compelled myself an updated identification ten years ago.

I made my way up the white marble steps and passed column after column until I came to the door I was looking for. I opened the door and inhaled the scent of centuries old parchment. There was a row of desktop computers on the left wall of the room, but the information I sought was much too old to have been digitized yet so I made my way to the back of the room to the rows and rows of filing cabinets. I unbuttoned my suit coat, shrugged it off and rolled up my shirt sleeves as I started my research. I opened up the cabinet marked **Fi-Fy** and pulled out the multiple Forbes files. I was hoping to find some sort of a description of Caroline to go along with the portrait I had of her, and maybe some other such descriptions of the family, anything to jog her memory. And then I had an idea. I quickly pulled all of the files pertaining to the Merton Family, the Knightsly family and The Rigali family. I poured over paper after paper until the different files swam in front of my eyes, almost ten hours later, and I couldn't believe what I had discovered in the ancestry records. I needed to get back to Mystic Falls immediately and tell Niklaus and Rebekah what I had found…

* * *

 **I know less than nothing about English politics! But I needed a place for Elijah to go to research some ancestry and this is the only thing that came to mind!**


	13. Friends, New and Old

**Got back on Sunday from Spring Break in Orlando and I'm writing as fast as I can for you guys! But trust me, you won't be disappointed by what's coming…**

* * *

"Ready?" Rebekah called to Stefan down the hall. We were both in Rebekah's room trying on our dresses again to show Stefan, who was waiting good naturedly in the living room. When I had been in the dressing room putting my own clothes back on, Rebekah had snuck to the owner to purchase it for me. I tried to argue and pay her back, $180 wasn't something I took lightly.

"Don't worry about it, just buy me a drink" she said with a grin and I agreed. We stopped at a small bar on the way back to the apartment and ordered rum and cokes. "So is this the part where we dive into all of the dark family drama?" Rebekah asked. I took a deep breath, shot gunned my drink and nodded as I signaled the bartender for another one.

"You don't want to know, trust me" I sighed

"It must be bad" Rebekah muttered

"It's just… I don't talk about it… to anyone" and she only nodded into her drink, giving me time. "My friends have enough going on without me whining and adding to it."

"Do they ever ask you how you're doing?" she asked as she finished her drink and I had to stop and think. Elena did sometimes, and so did Stefan, but they both always had so much drama to deal with I never gave them a truthful answer.

"Sometimes…"

"Well I'm asking" she smiled and I realized she was right. For some weird reason this girl did want to hear about my family drama.

"My dad is gay. He… abandoned my mom and me when I was twelve and ran off with his business partner."

"Wow… Have you seen him since?"

"At first I would see him every weekend, then once a month, then on holidays and birthdays, and then it was just cards" I said, keeping my voice free of emotion, "And then one day last Spring he decided it was time to visit his dearest daughter" I said, and I couldn't keep the anger from leaking into my voice

"Why all of a sudden?"

"Because Mayor Lockwood called him when she found out that I was a vampire… my father was a vampire hunter"

"But wasn't Tyler a werewolf? That seems hypocritical"

"She didn't know. Tyler had to shift in front of her to get her to see… and then she told Tyler where my father was torturing me" and Rebekah spit out the gulp she had just taken from her glass

"What? Your father was torturing you?"

"Well he was fond of calling it conditioning"

"What was he trying to condition you to do?"

"Not respond to blood… he starved me and then when I couldn't help the urge when he placed blood in front of me, he would burn me with sunlight… over and over for two days, before my mom and Tyler came for me."

"I'm so sorry Caroline," Rebekah said as she laid a hand on my arm, "I know what it's like to be hurt by a parent"

"You do?" I asked, surprised that anything could hurt an Original.

"My mother created us and died in the same day, and since then my father has been trying to kill us" "That's terrible!"

"But not out of character" she said sarcastically, and then there was silence as we both thought about what we had talked about. I hadn't talked about my father since the day he left again and this time I had been glad to see him go.

"To disappointing father's" Rebekah said as she raised her glass, and I smirked as I clinked my glass against hers.

"Yes I'm ready! I'm ready to get out of this apartment and into a bar!" Stefan yelled and it jerked me back to the present. Rebekah dragged me down the hall and into the living room and Stefan whistled.

"Shouldn't the roles be reversed?" Stefan said with a furrowed brow

"What do you mean?" Rebekah asked as she smoothed the front of her dress nervously. Hmm… did someone have a little crush on Stefan?

"Shouldn't Caroline be the angel and you be the devil?" Stefan smirked and Rebekah pouted and threw a pillow at him.

"Try not to be an idiot for five minutes," she said, "Now tell us what you think"

"I think you guys look great. You really show off the two different sides to the 20's"

"How do you mean?" I asked, being the only one in the room to not actually live through that time period.

"Well on the one hand you had the ritzy high class society parties in which Rebekah's gown would have been the norm, and on the other you had the wild and sinful side of the 20s in speakeasy's where Caroline's dress is from… Haven't you been paying attention to Ric this week?" he teased

"He just started the 20s! We have another whole week before he finishes the topic and the dance actually takes place" I defended myself, "Sorry I haven't lived through anything cool like you guys" I rolled my eyes, and then they met Rebekah's and I froze. I really needed to watch what I said around these Originals.

"Alright go change!" Stefan clapped his hands

"Aww did you have a long day pumpkin?" I teased him as we walked back down the hall and I couldn't make out his grumbled response. When I turned around after closing the door I found a piece of clothing being thrown in my face.

"You can wear that tonight if you want" Rebekah said with a smile as I caught the garment in the air and saw that it was actually a little black tank top and a leather jacket.

"Thanks!" and I eagerly shrugged out of the red flapper dress and back into my dark jeans and booties, which went perfectly with the tank and jacket from Rebekah.

"Here" Rebekah said, handing me a bag filled with makeup and I brushed on some mascara and blush while she did the same.

"Ready?" I asked her, and she flipped her hair once before nodding.

The three of us made our way down the street to a Mexican place that Rebekah knew about that served great margaritas. There was a line out the door but when we entered Rebekah compelled us the next available table, and within twenty minutes we were enjoying our margaritas.

"This place is fun" I said as I looked around the small restaurant. The waiters were all dressed in authentic Mexican clothes, Spanish music blared over the speakers and there was so much laughter and talking that the mood was infectious.

"Wait until you taste the food" Rebekah grinned, "And there's a club downstairs"

"Fun!" I squealed, I hadn't danced in ages. Several margaritas and quesadillas later and I was begging Stefan to come and dance with us, and after his third shot of tequila he was agreeing. The rest of the night is a bit of blur but I just remember having fun and laughing all night, and getting to see some of Stefan's famous dance moves as he twirled Rebekah and I around the dance floor. We all stumbled home around 2 in the morning, and I woke up next to Rebekah in her bed while she snored softly. I was a bit dizzy and I was dying of thirst, but I felt better than I deserved. I got out of bed slowly so I wouldn't wake Rebekah and I made my way out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. I gulped glass after glass of water and it helped a bit, but it made me realize that I was thirsty for something else. I had been so stupid last night to get drunk without access to blood bags; I'm lucky I didn't hurt someone.

"Morning" Stefan grumbled as he slumped onto one of the stools at the island and dropped his head into his hands. I poured water back into the glass and placed it in front of him, and he grumbled a thanks as he drank it. While he got up to refill his glass I started looking through the cabinets, and I found some pancake mix and chocolate chips.

"Pancakes?" I asked and Stefan nodded eagerly. I cooked for Stefan all the time and he hadn't complained once. "Yes!" we heard a faint voice shout from down the hall and we grinned that Rebekah had been eavesdropping. While I started to mix the batter Stefan rummaged around in the fridge and found bacon. He started frying the bacon while I was flipping the pancakes and Rebekah came into the kitchen and made coffee, and before long we were sitting down to a mountain of food.

"Both of you are hired" Rebekah said around a mouth full of food, and seeing the proper miss Original acting so normal made me burst out laughing.

"Oh trust me, you can't afford us" I joked as Stefan nodded along and Rebekah just snorted. We finished eating as we talked about the night before and the drive home, and then we were all too full to eat another bite.

"Stefan you can pile all of the dishes in the sink and the maid will be by later today to clean them. Caroline and I need to shower" Rebekah said as she slid off of her stool.

"Together?" Stefan said, wiggling his eyebrows at us.

"Not that we'd ever admit to you" Rebekah replied with a flirty smirk and Stefan threw a dish towel at her. I figured that Rebekah had a little crush on Stefan… but was Stefan flirting back?

"Okay Rebekah, how about those showers?" I asked, trying to dispel the awkwardness.

"Oh right! Come on I'll get you a towel" and she lead me back to her room to get me a few fluffy towels and a brush before leading me down the hall to the last room on the left.

"You can use this shower. I'll come and put a change of clothes on the bed for you" and she opened the door to a bedroom that was a sea of blues and greys. There was a huge king bed in the middle of the room with floor to ceiling windows on either side of it, and a dark hardwood floor. The room felt very peaceful, and I felt myself relax as I walked around the bed to the bathroom door. The tiles in the shower were dark blue and the countertops were grey marble, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the giant Jacuzzi tub in the far corner of the room. I shook myself out of my observations and started stripping out of Rebekah's t-shirt and shorts, and then I stepped inside the luxurious shower. There was a small screen on the wall with no other faucets or handles so I tapped it. It lit up and asked me to set the degree of intensity for the shower and then the temperature before the water started suddenly streaming from overhead. I saw soap and shampoo on a shelf and I helped myself, but there was something about the scent that was familiar. And the more I lathered my hair the stronger the scent became and I closed my eyes as I inhaled the musky smell… and suddenly I was wrapping my arms around a pair of strong shoulders, and burying my face in the crook of his neck while I inhaled his comforting and masculine scent… and then I was back to standing in a shower with shampoo trying to run into my eyes. What the hell was happening to me? What were all of these flashes and dreams about? My mind whirled as I quickly rinsed off and rushed out of the shower and away from the musky scent that triggered my flash. After drying off I returned to the bedroom to find a pair of light jeans and a black peasant blouse waiting for me with my booties. I towel dried my hair as best I could before I threw it up in a messy bun and got dressed, then I exited the room and walked down the hall to find Rebekah and Stefan already sitting in the living room. We gathered the rest of our things and headed out to the car and back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

I pulled into the driveway and saw that a red 1963 Porsche 356B Karmann Coupe was stalled by the front walkway. I recognized the car as belonging to Stefan Salvatore so I walked up to the driver's side window and knocked. Stefan lowered the window and, surprisingly, smiled.

"Elijah" he nodded in greeting

"Stefan" I replied with a nod, "May I ask what you're doing in my driveway?"

"I'm waiting for Caroline. Rebekah dragged her inside to find a matching necklace to her dress… I obviously decided not to join them" he said and I smiled, remembering how the two of them could get about fashion.

"I can't say I wouldn't have chosen the same" I agree with a final nod before walking the remainder of the way into the house. As I started walking up the stairs I saw Caroline pause on the top step. She looked beautiful. Her curly hair was piled on top of her head as little escaped strands curled around her face.

"Um, hi" she said as her face flushed, and I smiled up at her as I paused on the step.

"Good afternoon Miss Forbes, did you enjoy your trip?"

"Yea I did. Rebekah knows some great stores"

"That is a talent of hers" I agreed, and I expected Caroline to continue past me and out the door but she continued the conversation.

"Did, ah, you enjoy your trip?" she asked

"I did… it was very informative" I said honestly, thinking about the information I had to tell Rebekah and Niklaus.

"That's good… well I should go. I just wanted to grab a necklace from Rebekah for the dance" she said as she stepped down toward me. I stepped aside to let her pass, but something in me was screaming to make sure I could see her again.

"Miss Forbes?" I said as I reached out to grab her wrist when she was just a step below me, and she turned to look up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes.

"Yea?" she said, without removing her wrist from my grip

"I wonder if you might do me a favor."

"Sure"

"Save me a dance" I smiled down at her and I felt her heart rate speed up beneath my fingers on her wrist as she flushed again and smiled up at me. She didn't say anything, just nodded, and slowly began to walk down the steps again, unhurriedly pulling her hand from my grasp before walking out the front door.

"That was almost sickening" Niklaus said as he stepped out of his room when I made my way to the top of the stairs.

"I asked a beautiful woman to dance, there is nothing sad about that Brother" I replied with a sigh and made my way past him to my room.

"Do not listen to his jealousy Brother, I thought it was sweet" Rebekah said with a smile as she followed me into the room.

"Did you have fun sister?" I asked as I kissed her forehead

"I did. And thank you again for the use of your apartment on Delaware"

"Of course"

"And Caroline and I found the most darling dresses. You won't be disappointed"

"I never am" I said as I started to unpack my bag, "I need to see you and Niklaus in the library in thirty minutes"

"Why?"

"I found something in the archives"

"What?"

"Well telling you now would negate the need for a meeting in thirty minutes. I need to finish unpacking and shower and the information is not going anywhere. Please go and tell Niklaus". She opened her mouth to protest again before thinking better of it and walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. I removed the copied records from my bag and laid them on my desk before removing my shirt and pants as I made my way to my bathroom.

And exactly thirty minutes later I found myself walking into the library with the documents from the archives.

"I do not appreciate being ordered around like a child Brother" Niklaus seethed as I entered the room.

"I do apologize for the lack of a formal invitation but this needed to be discussed right away"

"And yet you had time to unpack and shower"

"Well the majority of my trip was spent on the jet so yes I showered"

"Enough! Just tell us what you found Elijah, I have been dying of curiosity" Rebekah said dramatically. Without replying I made my way over to the mahogany conference table in the middle of the room and started to organize the papers into a discernable pattern, and Rebekah and Niklaus came to stand at my shoulders.

"As you both know I went back to England to bring back documentation of Caroline's lineage," at which they both nodded, "While I was there I decided to look into the other individuals that were present at the time and possibly find descriptions to jog her memory"

"And did you find the descriptions?" Rebekah asked

"Not for all of them… But I did find something else…"

"Out with it Brother!" Niklaus exclaimed in frustration as I struggled with where to begin.

"I shall just say it plainly then… I found that Matthew Donovan, Caroline's little quarterback friend, is a descendent from Simon Knightsly and Vanessa Merton and-" and Rebekah gasped, "-and Bonnie Bennet, the witch, is a descendent of Caroline's cousin Maria and her Spanish husband. And lastly… Tyler Lockwood is a descendent of Marcus Merton and Margaret Huxtable…"

"Oh my god…" Rebekah whispered as she lowered herself into a chair.

"And these were all people that you two met in 1504?"

"These were the people surrounding Caroline at the time when we met her… And now their descendants are surrounding her again…"

"This reeks of witchcraft" Niklaus growled, and I had to agree with him.


	14. Dances and Dreams

"So what time should me and Bonnie come over tonight?" I asked Elena as she sat down beside me at lunch. It had taken a few days for Elena to start talking to Stefan and I again after we went to DC with Rebekah, but she seemed to have completely gotten over it now.

"I was thinking around 6, does that work?"

"Yup. You provide the drinks and we'll bring the pizza" I grinned. Tonight was the night of the decade dance and it was all anyone was talking about. Jeremy had asked Bonnie to be his date, much to Elena and my surprise, Damon had unsurprisingly said he was escorting Elena, and Matt had asked me to go as friends. I had barely seen Tyler since he bit me over two weeks ago and I found that I thought about him less and less with every passing day, especially since he had stopped trying to contact me. And there had been someone else occupying my thoughts more and more, particularly since being asked to save him a dance. I still remember how breathless I became around him and how I couldn't stop blushing like an idiot when he smiled at me, and then when he grabbed my hand… What the hell is wrong with me? I pushed Elijah Mikaelson from my thoughts and focused on the conversation going on around me as Bonnie joined us.

The afternoon seemed to drag until finally the last bell sounded.

"Hey Bekah" I smiled as she came to stand next to my locker

"Hi" she sighed sadly

"What's wrong?"

"Dillion had to cancel at the last minute today. His grandmother died last night so he has to go out of town for the funeral this weekend" Rebekah huffed, and I had to chuckle that she was mad at a woman for dying at the wrong time for her.

"Dillion is an idiot anyway" I shrug

"Be that as it may, now I have no date for tonight" she pouted

"I don't understand why you didn't just ask Stefan last weekend?"

"I thought you were going with Stefan?" she exclaimed

"No! Matt asked me to go as friends. Plus Stefan said he wasn't going because of Elena and Damon, but I'm pretty sure he'd go if you asked him"

"You really think so?" she asked, and I was taken back by how vulnerable she looked. I never thought of Rebekah Mikaelson as having low self-esteem.

"Of course. Want me to come with you to ask him?"

"No that's okay" she smiled, "I better head to the Boarding House. See you later!" she waved as she hurried down the hall and out of sight. If Stefan accepted her offer then I would be seeing her a lot sooner than she thought… that should piss Elena off, and I grinned at the thought. Not that I liked to anger my best friend, but I did enjoy seeing her a bit uncomfortable especially when she was so wrong and stuck in her prejudices. I finished filling my bag with the books I would need over the weekend and then headed to my car, in desperate need of a bubble bath and blood bag.

When I got to my house I deposited my backpack on my bed and started the water in the tub, adding a bit of lavender and citrus oil to the roiling water. While the tub filled with water I went to the kitchen to get a blood bag before returning to my room. I kicked off my uncomfortable flats, shimmied out of my skinny jeans and shrugged off my top and underwear before I lowered myself into the steaming water. I felt myself slowly relax as the warmth seeped into my muscles and finally when I started drinking the blood bag the warmth started running through my veins. I really needed to try and be more regular with the blood bags, but I didn't need them as often as everyone kept telling me that I did. Rebekah said she didn't need to feed very often either. My mind turned back to Elijah and how he had asked me to save him a dance tonight. Was he just being polite? Was he really going to show up at a high school dance to see me again? He did save my life on my birthday, and he had come all the way to Mystic Falls on the off chance that I was this long lost love of his… and I realized I wanted to be. I wanted to be the girl that a man would search 500 years for. I wanted to be the woman that would make an Original vampire fall in love. I wanted to be the first choice. Growing up I had always been in competition with Elena for everything, and for the most part she had always come out on top. I don't know what scared me more about this situation with Elijah, was it the intensity of his conviction, or was it the possibility that I could be someone's first choice? And if what he said was true then what did that make me? Was I a doppelgänger like Elena, or was I something else? And then another thought hit me… what if it wasn't true? What if Elijah and Rebekah were wrong and I wasn't this amazing person that they had once known? Would they both leave? The whole point of this bath was to relax and here I was stressing myself out over pointless thoughts that were completely out of my control! I growled in frustration as I lifted myself out of the tub and dried off. My skin was pink from the hot water and silky soft because of the oil and I smiled in satisfaction. I pulled on some sweatpants and a tank top and reached for my phone, shocked that it was almost 5 o'clock.

 **Me: Heyy Bon. Picking you up at 5:30!**

 _Bonnie:_ Hey Care! Sounds good :) I called in for the pizza to be ready around then

 **Me: Perfect. Did you get a Veggie and Pepperoni?**

 _Bonnie:_ Don't I always ;)?

 **Me: haha I should never doubt you**

 _Bonnie:_ Better not! Are you doing your hair at the Boarding House or at home?

 **Me: At the Boarding House, time got away from me**

 _Bonnie:_ kk I will too then. See you soon!

I excitedly got to my feet to retrieve my dress and heels and other accessories, looking forward to a normal night of getting ready for a dance with my two best friends. Just as I finished throwing some makeup into a bag with my curling iron and deodorant my doorbell rang. I threw a sweater over my tank top and made my way down the hall to the front door. I turned on the front porch light but saw that no one was there, so I opened the door cautiously. Sitting on the welcome mat was a long black velvet jewelry case. I picked it up and looked up and down the street but there was no one in sight, I took a deep breath before opening it. Laying on a silky piece of cloth was the most beautiful diamond bracelet. The exquisite interlocking infinity symbols twinkled in the light from my porch bulb and my breath caught in my throat, I had never worn something this beautiful before and I smiled down at it as I clasped it around my wrist. I knew who it was from, and my smile deepened as I looked up and down the street, but I didn't see any sign of him. With a sigh I closed the front door and returned to getting ready to leave.

Ten minutes later I was pulling up in front of Bonnie's house and honking the horn. While I waited for her to come out I looked down again at the bracelet. It was obviously gorgeous but what did it mean? Did I make a mistake in putting it on? I still had no idea what was going on in this whole situation and I didn't want to cause more confusion…

"Hey Care!" Bonnie said, startling me as she slid into the passenger seat, "Sorry! I thought you saw me coming down the driveway!" she laughed

"I guess I wasn't paying attention" I laughed in return and pulled the sleeve of my sweatshirt down to hide the bracelet before pulling away from the curb. We picked up the pizzas and then headed to the Boarding House. Elena swung open the door when she saw my headlights and she came storming out of the house.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked as she opened her door

"Stefan decided he's going to the dance! With that Original Bitch!" she exclaimed with a huff, and I had to resist the urge to scold her for her language about Rebekah. "How could he do this to me?" she asked, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"What do you mean? He isn't doing anything to you. You're with Damon now, so Stefan can go to a school dance with whoever he wants" I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder and closed the trunk.

"How can you say that Caroline? She's evil. I'm sure she's just trying to get close to him to spy on us" Elena said as she led the way up the walkway into the house.

"Or she has feelings for him. Or maybe her date canceled and she didn't want to go alone…" I said, trying to keep the guilt out of my voice. I knew I didn't do anything wrong but I also didn't like to get on Elena's bad side, and I could tell that might be where the evening was headed.

"Hey! Enough! Rebekah is irrelevant tonight. We are going to eat pizza. We are going to pregame. And we are going to get ready for one of our last school dances and have fun. Am I understood?" Bonnie shouted over us and we both shut our mouths immediately. "Elena, go and get the rum, vodka and soda. Caroline, grab the pizza boxes and put them on the bar." Bonnie ordered, and Elena and I both ran to follow her directions, grinning at her sudden attempt at impersonating a drill sergeant. Bonnie plugged in her phone and started blasting some music while Elena poured the drinks and I got some plates from the kitchen.

"So I guess you heard" a quiet voice muttered into my ear from behind me while I was reaching into a cabinet for plates, causing me to gasp and spin around.

"Jesus Stefan! I-"

"Shh!" he said, gesturing to the door with Elena and Bonnie in the next room

"It's not like the human and the witch can hear us!" I retorted, but I did lower my voice. "So I guess Rebekah was successful in breaking you" I grinned.

"I should've guessed that you were behind that" he grinned in return as he leaned against the island.

"She just asked for advice and I gave it" I said innocently.

"Yea I'm sure"

"Caroline! Where are the plates?" Elena called from the other room over the music. I turned back around to get the plates as Stefan smirked and grabbed a blood bag out of the fridge. I bumped his shoulder as I walked past him and he hip checked me before speeding out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Sorry guys, I grabbed a blood bag while I was in there" I said as I placed the plates next to the pizza boxes.

After the pizza was gone we started getting ready for the dance. I painted my nails and Bonnie's while Elena used the mirror to straighten her hair before pinning it up into a side bun with a feather pendant to match her dress. Then Bonnie needed help with her hair so Elena curled it for her while I used the mirror to create waves in my own hair. We laughed and talked and the argument from earlier was forgotten as we fell into a familiar routine. When 8 o'clock rolled around there was a knock at the door and when it opened Matt and Jeremy stepped through, both looking very debonair in their tuxedos.

"I thought you guys would've been dressed hours ago!" Matt teased when he saw that we were still in our sweatpants.

"We couldn't get makeup on our dresses" Elena laughed, "But we're going upstairs now. Damon should be here by now… but I'm sure he won't mind if you have a drink while we're upstairs"

"Well hurry up!" Matt called to us as he made his way to the bar and we headed up the stairs. We all slipped out of our sweatpants, rolled on our stockings and slid into our dresses. Elena's was mid-calf length and off white with crystals clustered at her right shoulder. Bonnie's dress was much shorter and black with a zigzag pattern of pearls across the waist. I had forgotten how pretty my own dress was with the silver and red beads that hung from the tassels along the bottom and along the neckline. We oohed and awed over each other's dresses and took several pictures before we decided to go back down to the guys.

"Damon!" Elena squealed when we entered the living room where the guys were waiting for us, and lounging against the bar was Damon.

"Hey hot stuff" Damon grinned, but when Elena walked over to him I saw genuine warmth enter his eyes when he looked down at her. I may hate Damon, and I would never trust him, but he seemed to really love her.

"Where have you been?" Elena murmured, and Damon cut his eyes over at me before he leaned closer to Elena and whispered in her ear.

"Not here…" I heard as I pretended to laugh at something Bonnie said to Jeremy. What had Damon been doing that he didn't want me to know about? And then Elena just nodded along in understanding before they both came over to join the group. Matt offered to take a picture of the girls together, then came the couple's pictures and then Damon was persuaded to take a picture with Matt and Jeremy. Damon drove himself and Elena to the school and Matt offered to drive Bonnie, Jeremy and I. In the darkness of the car I put on my elbow length gloves, then I took the bracelet out of my clutch and clasped it over my glove. I still wasn't sure if wearing the bracelet was a good idea, especially if he did decide to come tonight, but I couldn't help myself.

"Is that new Care?" Bonnie asked as she leaned between the two front seats to get a better look at the bracelet. So much for secrecy…

"Yea it was a gift, " I smiled, "Hey did you say that your dress was once your great grandmothers?" I asked quickly, hoping she would bite on the subject change.

"Yea! Isn't it cool?" she smiled, "I guess she was from Spain or something and she brought a bit of that daring European style over with her"

"It does seem a bit edgier than Elena's or mine" I admitted

"But all the daring in yours is in the color! I've never seen you wear a dress like this actually"

"Rebekah picked it out" I said, waiting to see if Bonnie's reaction would be anything like I'm sure Elena's would be.

"Well she has great taste. I would've expected you to pick either a white or blue dress" she said and I laughed.

"Those are the ones I wanted! I was coerced into trying this one on"

"Did you and Stefan have fun?" she asked quietly.

"We did… a lot of fun actually" I smiled. Elena hadn't asked about that weekend and I hadn't offered any information on it. Maybe Bonnie didn't hate the Originals as much as I thought.

"Good" she smiled in return and moved back to her seat beside Jeremy.

By the time we got to the dance it was already in full swing. Everyone was dressed in their 20's dresses and tuxedoes. I waved to everyone that I knew while Jeremy led the way to where Elena and Damon were sitting at a table talking to Ric.

"You guys all look great" Ric said with a smile as we all sat down around him.

"Thanks" Elena smiled, and she continued to chat with Ric and Damon while my gaze wandered over the crowd of people. I told myself that I was looking for Stefan, but I couldn't help notice whenever a pair of brown eyes would meet my own, and to feel a bit disappointed that they didn't belong to him.

"Care? Want to dance?" Matt asked when he saw me scanning the dance floor.

"Yea!" I said with a smile and I grabbed his hand. Matt and I had long since ended our romantic relationship and I was so glad that there was no lingering awkwardness between us. He twirled me around for song after song and it was fun just to be dancing, especially when Stefan and Rebekah showed up beside us after an hour or so. I squealed and pulled Stefan into a hug, and then impulsively did the same with Rebekah.

"Wow you guys look awesome!" I yelled over the music, and it was true. Rebekah was wearing her long 20s gown with pearls braided into her hair and Stefan was dressed as a 20s mobster, complete with a black fedora.

"You too! I told you red was the right choice!" Rebekah laughed and I had to nod in agreement.

"Hey Stefan! Hi Rebekah" Bonnie said with an unsure smile as she came to join our group after we had all been dancing for a while, albeit a bit uncomfortably now in Matts case.

"Hey Bon, you look great" Stefan said and Rebekah nodded along with an unsure smile of her own.

"That dress is incredible. Did you get that last weekend with Caroline and Stefan?" Bonnie asked Rebekah directly.

"Yea. We found it at this vintage bridal store in DC. Your dress is amazing too… it looks authentic"

"It is. It belonged to my great grandma. She brought it over from Spain in the 20's"

"Very cool"

"Where's Jeremy?" I asked Bonnie as I craned my neck to look for him over the crowd.

"Most likely whining with Elena and Damon" Bonnie sighed as my eyes finally found them. They were all standing together with Ric, and all of their glares were trained on our group.

"Look… I don't want to cause tension between you and your other friends… I'll just go" Rebekah said as she started to back away, but to everyone's surprise it was Bonnie that spoke up first.

"Don't. You didn't do anything to cause this much hate Rebekah. They despise Klaus and they're taking it out on you because Klaus barely leaves the mansion" Bonnie huffed, clearly annoyed with Elena and Jeremy.

"I think you spoke too soon Bon…" Stefan said as he nodded his head in the direction behind us, and Rebekah's mouth dropped open. Bonnie, Matt and I spun around to see Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson standing at the front entrance of the dance. My mouth instantly went dry at the way Elijah looked in his fitted black tuxedo, and when his eyes found mine I couldn't breathe. They made their way through the crowd to us, Elijah's eyes never leaving mine as they did.

"Good evening everyone" Klaus said with a smirk when they reached our circle.

"Brother, what are you doing here?" Rebekah asked in a strained voice.

"Well I knew you would be here with Stefan, and I knew Miss Forbes here had promised Elijah a dance, I admit I was starting to feel left out"

"Maybe if you didn't stalk around acting like a psychopath you'd get invited more places" Stefan said with a smirk, and I waited for Klaus to become furious, but instead he laughed.

"Perhaps you're right Stefan… But I also came with a purpose. I was wondering if Miss Bennet might consent to dance with me"

"What?" Bonnie and I said at the same time, my worry for Bonnie almost enough to drive away my awareness of Elijah standing beside me.

"Nothing to fear loves. Just a simple conversation" Klaus said with raised eyebrows as he held his hand out to Bonnie. She narrowed her eyes and I expected her to refuse him, but once again I was surprised as she placed her hand in his and the two walked halfway across the floor. I looked at Rebekah in confusion and she looked just as shocked as I was.

"Miss Forbes… Would you care to dance?" a deep voice asked from beside me, "I do believe you were saving me one" he smiled almost shyly down at me and my heart fluttered in my chest.

"How could I forget" I grinned, and I placed my hand in the one he offered. He led the way into the middle of the dance floor just as a slower song came on, and I laughed at the cliché. We danced in silence for a while, and I couldn't think of anything to say, especially when my thoughts were a jumble as the warmth of his hand spread across my waist. He smelled just like the soap I had smelled in the shower in DC and with a blush I realized that that bedroom and shower must have been Elijah's.

"I see you got my gift" he murmured quietly in my ear and I shot my eyes up to meet his.

"I did. It's beautiful… thank you" I said with a smile as I glanced over at the bracelet, on the wrist of the arm that held Elijah's hand.

"Not as beautiful as the wearer" he said, his face and tone serious and I blushed furiously. "I missed that blush" he whispered in my ear as he leaned even closer to me, before pulling away again. My heart jumped in my chest at what he said, implying what he had been trying to tell me all along. The last time he tried I spat it back in his face and ran away like a coward, and I regretted it ever since.

"Let's say… for arguments sake, that I believe you. What proof do you think you have?" I asked bravely and Elijah's mouth dropped open for a moment before he regained his composure and his expression was stonily serious.

"I can show you" he said and I considered his words.

"Maybe…" I said, and he nodded in understanding, and then the last strands of the song were swirling around us.

"I do not wish to overstay my invitation" he said with a bow. He raised the hand that was still grasped in his and he kissed the back of it, making me wish I hadn't put on the stupid gloves in the car. He gestured for his brother and Klaus came to stand beside him.

"We are leaving" he said and Klaus nodded, but then he turned to me.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening Miss Forbes" he said before he too kissed the back of my hand, and peered at me with a curious expression on his face, and then they both turned and walked away. I watched them go, and just before they disappeared out the door Elijah turned back. His serious gaze met mine and he nodded to me once before finally disappearing.

As soon as he was gone I felt like I could breathe again. His smell still lingered in the air and I took a deep breath to steady myself. Had I just agreed to see the evidence he had that I was his long lost love?

"Hey are you alright?" a voice asked from behind me, and Stefan grabbed my arm to turn me around.

"Yea fine. Why?"

"Well you didn't come back after they left"

"I just needed a minute" I said with a smile.

"I need to talk to you" he said urgently and I nodded. He led me out of the dance and down the hall.

"I listened in on Klaus and Bonnie's conversation" he said. _Shoot… why hadn't I thought of that_? Oh right, I was in the arms of a ridiculously handsome Original.

"What did they say?"

"I couldn't catch all of it, but toward the end of the song he thanked her for her help with Elijah, and told her to remember where her loyalties lay"

"What? Bonnie would never side with Klaus in anything"

"Well then she said that her loyalty was to the witches and not with the Originals. And he said 'well when our interests are one in the same then your loyalty is mine'. I'm not sure what he meant…"

"Should we go and talk to her about it?" I asked

"Not tonight. I don't want everyone to know yet. It could just be a misunderstanding and tensions are a bit high at the moment"

"You're telling me…"

"So… did you enjoy the last song?" Stefan asked with a smirk as he leaned back against a locker

"As a matter of fact I did" I said as I stuck my tongue out at him, "he happens to be a good dancer"

"Shocker. A 1000 year old vampire is a good dancer" he laughed, "Come on, let's get back before the firing squad gets suspicious" and I had to giggle at his nickname for Elena, Damon and Jeremy.

I spent the rest of the night with Stefan, and Rebekah with Bonnie making frequent appearances to dance with us, since the rest of the group, including Matt, was sitting at a table. After another hour or two I was getting sick of the tension.

"I think I'm just going to go home" I said to Stefan

"Do you want me to drive you home? I know you came here with Matt"

"That's alright you don't ha-"

"Actually I was thinking it was time to head out too" Rebekah said.

"Oh alright, that would be great. But you can just drive me to the Boarding House, my car is there… let me just tell Bonnie since I drove her there" I said and made my way over to the hostility table.

"Hey Bon, I'm going to head back to the Boarding House with Stefan to pick up my car and head home. Do you want a ride or are you going to stick around?"

"I would actually love a ride home, thanks Care" Bonnie smiled a bit forcibly at me as she got up, "Bye everyone, have a great night" Bonnie called cheerfully as we walked away. The rest of the group offered Bonnie small smiles and completely ignored me as we turned away.

"What was that about?"

"What?"

"The eagerness to leave?"

"Jeremy was getting a bit pushy and I couldn't handle the negativity from Elena and Damon about the three of you"

"Hmm…" I said, not surprised about Elena and Damon.

"Ready to go?" Stefan asked when we reached him and we both nodded. The ride to the Boarding House was quiet but not uncomfortable as Bonnie and I rested in the backseat.

"Thank you for flying Air Stefan" he said when we pulled into the driveway and the three of us laughed.

"We just need to get our stuff" I said as Stefan led the way to the front door. Bonnie and I gathered our stuff from upstairs and the living room and then went into the library to say goodbye. But when we turned the corner we could see that Rebekah and Stefan were sitting on the couch, very close together, staring at the fire as they talked quietly. I put my finger to my lips and Bonnie nodded with a grin as we backed quietly out of the room, knowing that the two vampires could probably hear us anyway. We hurried from the house and got into my car, giggling like crazy.

"That is going to drive Elena insane!" Bonnie laughed

"Oh I know! But she has no right to be mad! She dumped Stefan for his bastard brother and now she can't be mad that he's trying to be happy again"

"I think the issue is who he's trying to be happy with" Bonnie said.

"But Rebekah never did anything to her. Klaus did, that's for sure- but not Rebekah personally"

"I know… I've tried talking to her but it doesn't work. Damon has her convinced that all of them can't be trusted. Damon even suggested tonight that Klaus and Elijah and Rebekah are compelling us."

"What!" I shrieked as I pulled over in front of Bonnie's house.

"Well obviously I denied it! I can't be compelled remember?"  
"Oh right. Sometimes I forget all of your little superpowers" and she giggled as she opened the door. I was so close to stopping her and asking about what her and Klaus were talking about, but I knew that Stefan wanted to be there for that conversation so I held my tongue and just smiled as I waved to her.

My life was getting more complicated by the hour with all of this Original Drama. With as much as I missed my life before they came to town, I couldn't bring myself to regret it, and that surprised me. I finished the drive home deep in thought, and I undressed mechanically. I hadn't realized how tired I was before and I fell onto my bed thankfully and was asleep almost instantly.

The first thing I noticed was how cold I was. The coldness seemed to seep into my bones as I became aware that I was in a sort of circular stone room. I tried to stand up but I was unimaginably weak and my ankle was chained to the floor; it felt like I didn't have any real control over my body.

"Let's see how much my son really cares about you…" a deep voice said from the shadows, and a disgusted shiver went through my body in terror. "The sooner he comes, the less torture you shall have to endure" the voice continued as he stepped out of the shadows with a sick smile on his face. His eyes, so small and filled with hate, showed amusement as I trembled.

"The sooner he comes, the sooner you are going to try and kill him" I found myself saying, as though my mouth did not belong to me.

"Believe it or not Miss Forbes, my true target is Niklaus, not Elijah…" he said as he kneeled in front of me, "However, I do need to teach that boy some manners so…" and he backhanded me across the face, sending me face first into the stone floor. I spit blood onto the floor and then looked back up at him, hate filling my gaze, but he simply smirked and hit me again. He hit me over and over until finally he stopped.

"Tell me something dear, how did you trick my son into falling in love with you?" he asked as I wheezed on the floor from when he punched me in the stomach.

"I didn't- I didn't trick him. He was so d-d-desperate to get away from you that-that my family made him feel safe again"

"Your human family made him feel safe? An Original from a powerful family was protected by a lowly human Baron?" he laughed

"That lowly human Baron was a better man than you will ever be" I said with conviction, and he placed his foot over my leg as he spoke again.

"Well I killed the better man with my bare hands… so what does that make me?" and then he brought his foot down and I could hear and feel the bones crack, and I couldn't contain the scream that burst out of me… And I woke up in bed with that scream, covered in sweat and trembling. It had all been a dream. But it had felt so real. I could still remember the feeling of every punch and kick, and the sickening crack of the bones in my leg. I reached down and rubbed my leg as my thoughts whirled. If that hadn't been a dream, had it been a memory? Had I really been tortured by a madman that wanted to hurt Elijah and his siblings… but he had said 'my son'. Oh my god… I couldn't be ignorant anymore. I needed to know once and for all if I was this person from 1504, and if I was, I needed to figure out what happened to me and if I was still in danger. I needed to go see Elijah and his evidence.

* * *

 **I thought that after the long wait between chapters recently that you guys deserved an extra long chapter :)**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	15. Triggers

She had looked beautiful tonight. I hadn't been expecting the vision in red I was presented with. It made the blush on her cheeks even easier to read, which I was grateful for. Having not been around her for 500 years I felt a bit out of practice in speaking with her again… on the one hand it felt natural and amazing to be able to speak with her and touch her again, and on the other hand I was terrified of doing something wrong and scaring her away. But then she had asked about the evidence I spoke with her about, and I had barely contained my surprise. Maybe she was finally coming around to thinking I was right, or she was just incredibly curious. I sighed into the glass of Bourbon that I had been nursing for over an hour and got up, leaving the library and walking up to my room to prepare for bed. I draped my suit jacket over the chair at my desk, untucked my shirt and started unbuttoning it. And just as I started to remove my cufflinks I heard the front door crash open, followed by hurried light footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall; I figured Rebekah must be home from the dance. But then my bedroom door was thrown open and I was shocked to see Caroline standing there, and a second shock came when I took in her appearance. She had on dark blue pajama pants with a black tank top under an oversized grey sweater, but it was her pale cheeks and red rimmed eyes that caught my attention.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I walk toward her, noting that she didn't appear to be injured, only frightened.

"What happened to that girl in the past?" she asked, her voice shaking along with her shoulders when I grasped them. I moved my hand to the small of her back and led her to sit on the edge of my bed and then I kneeled in front of her.

"I'm more concerned with what just happened to you?" I said and her eyes met mine.

"Please just tell me what happened to her" she pleaded with me and I sighed again.

"She was taken from me"

"She was tortured" Caroline said as she lowered her gaze to her lap as my blood turned cold. I knew that Mikael had tortured Caroline based on the amount of blood in the dungeon, but how could she know that?

"What? You remember?" I asked her as my mouth dropped open a bit in shock.

"I don't know! I don't know… it could have just been another weird dream…"

"Another?"

"Yea… Since you came back to Mystic Falls I've been having weird- and realistic dreams."

"What are they about?"

"Usually they're about this place… a beautiful stone mansion on a cliff. And sometimes I spend the whole dream just sitting with my legs hanging over that cliff looking at the waves-"

"Is there a little tree that you lean against in the dreams?" I asked her quietly, not wanting to take away the faraway look in her eyes, but then they flashed back to mine in shock.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she grabbed my hands, "They're not dreams are they?" she asked me hesitantly and I shook my head no. She nodded in return, taking a deep breath as she steadied herself.

"Show me" she pleaded again and this time I nodded. I released her hands and stood from my kneeling position in front of her, suddenly very aware that my shirt had been open for the entire time she had been here, especially when her eyes swept up my body slowly until her heated gaze met mine. It was good to know that I still affected her as strongly as she affected me. I strode from the room without a word, not trusting myself to say anything at the moment, and went down the hall to my study. I stopped by Niklaus's room to grab a shirt and I was relieved that the room was empty, and then I continued into the study to retrieve the necessary items.

I returned to the room and placed the biggest parcel onto the bed and Caroline rose to stand beside me as I unwrapped it. Once all of the protective wrappings had been removed she gasped in recognition at the panting of the cliffside that was done by her own hand.

"This is that place! The place from my dreams" she said excitedly as she reached down and stroked over the rough surface off the painting. I almost stopped her from touching it, but then thought how foolish that was when she was the artist who created it. "It's beautiful. Did you paint it?" she asked and I couldn't fight the smile that broke over my face as I shook my head.

"No, I could never create something this beautiful. You painted it for me as a birthday present"

"I did…"

"Along with what's on the back of it"

"I'm almost afraid to ask what I painted on the back of a painting" she let out a nervous laugh as I unscrewed the frame around the painting to show her the self-portrait on the back. "Oh my god… it's me…" she whispered. Her hair was much longer in the portrait and she was wearing her favorite dark blue gown but it was undeniable that it was Caroline staring back at her. "So I painted both of these?"

"Yes. You gifted me with the cliff portrait at a dinner that your parents put on in my honor and then you came to my rooms that evening and showed me the self-portrait on the back. It was a bit scandalous of you really"

"Really, why?"

"It was not considered proper for an unmarried girl to give a man a portrait of herself without the promise of a betrothal in those days"

"Oh…" she said as she traced her fingers along the self-portrait as well, "my school notebooks are full of drawings and doddles but nothing as amazing as this…"

"You had classical training for many years before you painted this"

"I was a trained painter?" and I had to laugh at her expression.

"No, love, you were a lady and you were trained in many things"

"Like what?"  
"Dancing, painting, embroidery, although you despised that one, and French and Spanish, and your- cousin was teaching you Portuguese" I said, not sure how to describe Maria and Gloria to her.

"I had cousins?"

"Oh yes, quite a few if I remember correctly. On both your mothers and your father's side" and she was silent for a while, hopefully not upset about something I said. I then took the envelope out of my back pocket and removed the letter carefully and handed it to her. I had read the words so many times that I knew exactly what part she was at when her expression changed, and I could see the words in my head…

 _To Niklaus Mikaelson,_

 _You do not know me, but one day I hope to become part of your family, and it would be an honor to call you brother. I have heard stories of your conquests and brutality… but I have also been told tales of your loyalty and fierce protectiveness, and I understand. To always be on the run, never knowing who to trust, and to always be worried about the lives of your siblings; that would take its toll on any person, especially 500 years of it._

 _I am not asking you not to kill me, I am simply asking you to make the journey to meet me and reserve judgement until then. If I am to die by your hand, just know that I die desperately in love with your brother, and befriended to your sister and other brother. I am not afraid of you Niklaus Mikaelson, and I hope you do not fear me._

 _Awaiting your arrival,_

 _Caroline Forbes Mikaelson_

"We were going to get married?" she asked in a quiet voice as she looked from the letter in her hands to my face.

"Yes we were" I admitted, looking back in her shocked eyes. She dropped the letter back onto the bed and growled in frustration.

"Why can't I remember anything?" she shouted at me.

"I don't know Caroline. Rebekah and I have been trying to figure it out, but we didn't know that you remembered things when you slept"

"I had one last weekend, a burst of a memory or whatever you call it… when I was awake"

"What were you doing right before you remembered?"

"I was trying on dresses with Rebekah and- and Rebekah- well I asked Rebekah if what you were trying to tell me was true, and she nodded that it was. But she said that you told her not to talk to me about it so she looked a little scared when she nodded… and then it was like a flash of light or something, and I was being carried in someone's arms… your arms…" she said, as if just realizing, "and my head and whole body hurt and I was bleeding everywhere… especially from my neck. And then you carried me into a house or something and called for Rebekah- then she started freaking out- she said that you bit me… Did you bite me?" she asked me suddenly, coming out of her own head to focus on me, her expression unapproving.

"It was a bit more complicated than that Caroline… We were out for a walk along the ledge of the cliff and you got ahead of me. Then the cliff gave way and you fell, but I caught you. In the fall a large plank of wood staked me and I hadn't fed in a few weeks so I wasn't healing… That was the same day I told you what I was, and you offered me your neck to heal so I could get us out of there before the tide came in" even as I was simply describing the day I could remember every sensation that accompanied it; ranging from terror and pain to relief and bliss later that night. "It was also the night that I asked you to marry me" I finished quietly and her cheeks blazed red.

"I just want to remember! I had this entire life with family and friends and I'm completely cut off from it" she said quietly, her voice sounding on the verge of tears as she sank back down onto the bed with her face in her hands.

"If something Rebekah did was able to trigger a memory then maybe we can try doing that again" I said hesitantly, not sure if she was going to like the idea that sprang into my mind.

"How?" she asked as she raised her face from her hands.

"Close your eyes" I said, and I gulped when she did it without hesitation. I sat on the bed next to her and noticed that my hands were shaking a bit as I brought them to cradle her cheeks. "I am going to kiss you" I whispered to her and she let out a sharp breath, but she didn't pull away from my hold, so I closed the distance between us and brought my lips to hers. It felt like coming home again when her soft lips pressed against mine, and I was content to linger there until a spark ignited and my hand moved from Caroline's cheek to the back of her neck and I was kissing her hungrily, and she was kissing me just as passionately. She rose onto her knees and ran her fingers through my hair, sending shocks down my spine, as she pulled me closer to her. And just as quickly as the kiss began, it ended with Caroline crumbling to the floor and clutching her head.

"Caroline?... Caroline, love, what's wrong?" I asked, kneeling on the floor beside her while she didn't move and didn't answer me.

* * *

"Close your eyes" he said, and I did it without hesitation, willing to try anything to regain my memories. I felt the bed dip a bit beside me and knew that he had sat down, and then I felt his warmth when he leaned forward and cupped my cheeks gently. His warmth spread from my cheeks, down my chest and deep into my stomach.

"I am going to kiss you" he whispered, and his soft breath brushed over my face and I realized how close he was to me. I didn't trust myself to say anything as my heart started hammering in my chest so I just let out a pent out breath and kept my eyes closed. Finally I felt him press his lips against mine. My heart seemed to want to burst with the simple contact, and then it burned with want as he slid his hand from my cheek to the back of my neck, kissing me like I had never been kissed before. I found myself responding to him almost desperately as I strove to be closer to him, I rose to my knees and ran my fingers through his surprisingly soft hair. But as soon as my fingers raked through his hair I was blinded by a white light and suddenly I was staring into a floor length and ornate mirror. Standing behind me a short girl with dark brown hair and eyes and a kind smile as her eyes met mine over my shoulder in the glass. But what drew my eye immediately was the gorgeous black gown I was wearing. It was made of black lace and silk, with a low neckline and red edging. Then I was walking down a beautiful and familiar staircase to see Elijah standing at the bottom. And his fingers are lingering on the back of my neck as he secures a mask of some kind around my head for me. Then I am in his arms, and we are dancing and twirling and he is smiling down at me, his brown eyes filled with warmth and love as they meet mine. I can hear the small orchestra in the corner, I can see flashes of other couples dancing all around us, and I can feel the warmth from Elijah's body as he holds me close to him… and then I am being clutched against his chest, returning to the floor of his bedroom in Mystic Falls.

I felt myself panting and grasping the cotton material of Elijah's shirt as he clutched me against his chest.

"Caroline?" he said cautiously when he felt me stiffen, and I lifted my head to look up at him.

"Did we- did we dance? With like black masks… at a ball?" I asked him and I watched as his confusion cleared and a smile came over his face.

"Yes! At the masked Harvest Ball at your parents Estate. Almost the whole village was invited along with some other family friends"

"There was a girl in my memory. She was standing behind me but I could see that she had brown hair and brown eyes, and she smiled so kindly at me"

"Was she a few inches shorter than you?"

"Yea"

"That was Mary. She was your Lady's maid and your friend"

"What happened to her?"

"She… she was killed, the night you were taken"

"Oh…" I said quietly, grieving for this girl that I hardly remembered. "So he killed everyone?"

"Yes"

"He said that he killed my father…"

"Caroline, tell me what you remembered about being tortured"

"I was chained to the floor by my ankle is a circular room. He was trying to taunt me but I wasn't letting him, and I think I ended up pissing him off… he was hitting me and kicking me… and then when I wouldn't answer his questions the way he wanted, he- he broke my leg" and as if by habit Elijah reached for me again and brought me against his chest.

"What kind of questions was he asking you?"

"He wanted to know how I tricked you into f-falling in love with me" I said against the fabric of his shirt.

"I'm sure you told him where he could shove a question like that" Elijah said gruffly and I laughed.

"I told him that you were desperate to get away from him and that my family made you feel safe"

"What did he say to that?"

"He obviously wasn't thrilled. He said that my father was just a lowly Baron against an Original, so I told him that the lowly Baron was a better man than he could ever hope to be… that was when he broke my leg and told me that he killed my father with his bare hands"

"You know who he was don't you?" Elijah asked after a minute of silence and I nodded.

"He was your father wasn't he?"

"He was"

"Was? Did you kill him?"

"Not yet… we had a witch desiccate him and we hid the body"

"Well… I hope it hurt" I said and Elijah laughed. We sat in silence for a while until I thought of something. "Kiss me again!" I said suddenly as I pulled away from him. He looked a bit surprised but I didn't give him time to respond as I launched myself at him. I hungrily kissed him, starting where we left off before, and he didn't disappoint as he wrapped his arms around my waist to bring me closer to him. He ran his fingers under the hem of my tank top along my lower back, sending shivers throughout my body while I raked my fingers through his hair and straddled his lap to be closer to him. I felt like I was being enveloped by him completely, and it was ironic that the man that had filled me with dread for two months was the man I now felt the safest with. As the kiss gradually became slower and gentler I was able to catch my breath, and then Elijah set his forehead against mine while both of our panting slowed. Even though I felt this overwhelming sense of elation at being in his arms I also felt a niggling sense of disappointment that it didn't trigger another memory.

"We can try as many times as you want love, but I think we may need to try other things later to trigger memories until we can find a way to unlock them permanently" and I laughed at his offer to keep trying, but I gently moved away from him to sit beside him leaning against the side of the bed.

"How did we meet?" I asked

"My father had just found us and we scattered to escape him. I was wandering down the coast and I came across your village and the people there said that your father was a kind and fair man that worked in trade. I decided to compel your father into letting me stay… But I only needed to compel him that he knew I was coming to be his apprentice and he offered me shelter on the spot. But on the night I was heading to your estate there was a great storm and I came upon this dirty and ragged young woman-"

"Oh my god! Was I carrying something… no, someone, through the rain?" I asked suddenly, remembering another dream I had.

"Yes! Did you just remember that?"

"No… I had that dream the night you saved me in the ravine on my birthday"

"Oh, I see. Well yes, you were carrying your injured driver through the rain and the mud even after suffering a serious head wound yourself. I hadn't ever seen a more selfless act, especially among the upper class… I was deeply curious about you… and then I couldn't keep away from you" he grinned, as if remembering something and I felt a rush of frustration that I couldn't access my own memory. I launched into a series of questions that Elijah was all too happy to answer. I found myself laughing at most of the things he was describing, especially about the absurdity of being forced to marry someone I didn't even know, and for all of it to end because he was caught kissing the girl that he did love in my library. But the parts I loved hearing about the most are when Elijah would describe something special that we did together. We didn't talk about anything sad in an effort on both of our parts to keep the conversation light, and before I knew it the sun was rising. I didn't want to have to leave but I knew my mom would freak out if she woke up and I wasn't home.

"You have to leave don't you?" Elijah asked as I looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table, seeing that it read 6:17. When I nodded he got to his feet and then offered me his hand to stand, which I took with a smile. It was strange how such a simple gesture could spark such a warmth inside of me. I slid my boots back on, which I had kicked off during our talk and zipped my sweatshirt up over my tank top. When I was ready Elijah again held his hand out to me and I took it and held it as he walked me from the room. My hand, which I had come to view as strong and powerful since I had become a vampire, felt so small in his grip. As we walked down the stairs toward the front door I found that I really didn't want to leave…

"Do you think that… that I could come back? Maybe later? So we could talk more" I ask him when we get to the landing, and he smiled.

"Of course" he says before we reach the door and he opens it for me. He walks me down the driveway to where I parked my car at the end. I fish the keys out of my pocket when a new question occurs to me.

"When Klaus danced with Bonnie last night he thanked her for helping you," and Elijah's happy expression darkened a bit, "and that she needed to remember where her loyalties lied. What did he mean by that?" I asked and he sighed as he crossed his arms.

"That… is her news to tell, or not to tell love" he finally said, "I wouldn't presume to break her confidence just when it seemed she was coming to my side" and he grinned again.

"And what exactly is your side?" I asked cheekily, and he chuckled a bit as he leaned toward me.

"My side is whatever side you are one" he murmured as he laid his lips against my forehead.


	16. Weight On My Shoulders

I had a weird out of body sense as I drove home from the Mikaelson mansion. It seemed like another person had had the nightmare last night and raced over there for answers, resulting in two amazing kisses with the oldest of the Original siblings and being convinced that this reincarnation thing was possible. But I couldn't even really call it reincarnation yet; I wasn't sure what this was, or what I was. My stomach was fluttering and my heart was beating out of my chest even as I just thought about the kisses. And the way his touch set my skin on fire caused residual goosebumps to rise on my arms now as I pulled into the driveway and thought about it. I had never been kissed like that before… well I guess I had actually, I just didn't remember it. I shook my head and sucked in a few deep breaths to steady myself before I snuck back into the house and hopefully could catch an hour or two of sleep before my mom woke up.

I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and thankfully it was dreamless this time, although nowhere near long enough. My mom came in at 9 to wake me up so that she could go to work. I groaned as the sleepless night settled around me and I felt a headache coming on and I rubbed my eyes before checking my phone and noticed a few missed calls from Stefan, but no voicemails.

 **Me: Hey Stef, sorry I missed your calls..**

 _Stefan: It's ok I'm just glad your alright_

 **Me: why wouldn't I be?**

 _Stefan: …how was your night?_

He wrote back to my question after a few minutes of silence, his answer not much of an answer to my question, but I was guessing he already knew the answer to his. I decided to answer back just as evasively.

 **Me: eventful**

 _Stefan: So I've heard_

 **Me: what exactly did u hear?**

 **Me: Stef?**

Just when I was about to throw my phone down and roll over there was a knock at my front door and I rolled my eyes when I realized who it was. Stefan was standing on my porch with his trademark brooding scowl. I gestured for him to come in and then made my way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and get a blood bag. I heard him sit on one of the chairs at the kitchen table and with a sigh I turned to face him.

"I left their house 2 hours ago, how did you already hear about it?" I asked as I sipped the blood bag, but then I realized what must have happened, "Rebekah told you, didn't she?" and he nodded. Rebekah must have stayed much later at the Boarding House than I thought because I know she wasn't at the mansion when I got there and I didn't hear her come in.

"And what did you do last night? Rebekah got home very late"

"We are starting with you" he said seriously, "What happened last night that caused you to go gallivanting over to the Mikaelson mansion?"

"First of all I don't gallivant… and secondly- I had a dream… or I guess it was a memory-"

"A memory?"

"Yea. I've been having them a lot ever since Elijah came back to Mystic Falls. At first I thought they were just weirdly vivid dreams but now I know- they're memories"

"So they were right…" Stefan said in an awed tone, "what was last night's memory about?"

"I was being tortured" I said simply before turning and pouring two cups of coffee, coffee that I spilled on the counter when Stefan shouted.

"WHAT?"

"I'm fine Stef- really! I guess I was kidnapped in 1504 and then I was tortured. The Mikaelson's expected as much but now they know for sure"

"Who kidnapped you and tortured you?"

"A man named Mikael" I said bluntly, waiting for a reaction, and I got one. Stefan's eyes widened and he paled a bit.

"Their father…"

"Yea, how did you know that?"

"Rebekah told me about him, he was the reason that they left me and wiped my memory in the 20s"

"Oh… Well he seems like a swell guy" I said sarcastically as I handed Stefan his mug

"What did he do to you…?"

"Knocked me around- punched and kicked me a bit. And then once when I got him angry he broke my leg" I finished and Stefan sat in silence for a moment before speaking.

"And this is when you were human?" he asked and when I nodded he got to his feet and walked over to me, "I am so sorry Care" he said as he wrapped his arms around me. I didn't realize how much tension I had been holding in over the last twelve hours and as I laid my head against his familiar and comforting chest I found myself crying against him. I couldn't control the sobs that wracked my body. By solving one mystery of whether Elijah was telling the truth or not it opened me up to a whole new set of mysteries that I wasn't anywhere close to solving. Why couldn't I remember anything? What happened to me in the past and could Mikael still be after me? And what was I going to do next?... However, there was one mystery that I could solve right now.

"So… what were you up to last night?" I said with a sniff as I leaned away from Stefan's arms and wiped my eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't let that go" he sighed as he leaned on the counter next to me, but he couldn't hide the slight smirk that ran across his face.

"Ew. You didn't… did you?" I asked with a disgusted face and Stefan laughed.

"No! We didn't do – that… we just talked. I forgot how much- well I mean she has-"

"You like her," I said with a smile, "It's okay to admit it Stef"

"I was just trying to say that I forgot how much I liked her" he smiled down at me as he put his arm around my shoulders.

"There's been a lot of forgetting going around" I said with a sigh as I put my head on his shoulder.

"We'll figure this out Care, I know we can" he sighed as he squeezed my shoulder, and then I remembered something else…

"We need to call Bonnie"

"What? Don't we need to try and figure out the Elijah and memory thing before we involve other people?" he said, brows furrowed in confusion.

"I think Bonnie is already involved and we don't even know it."

"You think Bonnie knows more than she's let on?"

"Well I asked Elijah about what she said to Klaus at the dance and he said that it was her news to tell"

"Alright. The more information we have the better at this point. Want me to call her?" he asked

"Could you? I need to get dressed and wash up… and Stef?" I said as I walked across the kitchen toward the hall.

"Yea?" he said as he looked up from his phone.

"Thanks" I smiled at him, feeling so much better having someone to go through this whole mess with, and feeling especially glad that it was Stefan.

After seeing my reflection I decided it was just better to hop in the shower. The steam helped to relax me as did Stefan's constant chatter on the other side of the door. I knew he was trying to keep my mind from wandering to some darker places and I was grateful for the distraction. I finally turned the water off feeling much more optimistic than when I had gotten in.

"Bonnie will be here in 5 Care" Stefan called through the door just as I was opening it.

"Alright. Why don't you go wait in the living room and I'll be right out" I suggested, standing in my towel and he quickly nodded as he headed out the door and closed it behind him. I pulled on a pair of jeans and my black cheerleading sweatshirt. I looked down at the white and red lettering and thought back to when the world was as simple as which sweatshirt to get or which moves to put into a routine. Now I was focused on getting my memories back of my long lost fiancé who I was supernaturally kidnapped from in 1504… the more times I said it to myself the easier it was getting to wrap my head around. After I threw my hair into a messy bun the doorbell rang.

"Come in Bon!" I called as I opened my door and walked down the hall to the living room, taking a seat next to Stefan on the couch. Bonnie walked in with a smile and took her usual seat in the armchair to the right of the couch, kicking her shoes off and tucking her feet beneath her as she settled in.

"Hey guys, what's going on? Stefan sounded weird on the phone" she smiled nervously. I didn't want to think that Bonnie had done anything to betray us with Klaus, and the not knowing was killing me, but I knew I needed to start off with my news first, and I wanted to see her reaction.

"I know… I know now that what Elijah and Rebekah have been trying to tell me is true"

"You do?" she exclaimed as she leaned closer to me.

"Yea. I haven't told you this, but ever since Elijah came back to Mystic Falls I've been having these weird dreams- they're very vivid… well they're not really dreams, they're memories. My memories- from 1504" and Bonnie was nodding along as I jumbled my way through the explanation, and then she said the last thing I expected.

"I know Care" she said quietly

"WHAT?" me and Stefan both shouted and Bonnie held her hands up in surrender as she leaned back into the chair.

"What do you mean you know? You know that I'm this girl from 1504?" and she nodded, "How long have you known?" she bit her lip and hesitated before answering

"About two weeks after Elijah came back…"

"Bonnie! You've known the truth for two months… Why didn't you just tell me? I would've believed it if you had told me and not just him and Rebekah and- wait… How do you know they're telling the truth?"

"The ancestors…"

"Of course, they just know everything" I sighed

"And that's not all they told me" she said with a grimace

"Well you might as well tell us the whole story now Bonnie" Stefan said sternly, clearly not liking the direction of the conversation.

"One night when I was going through my grams Grimoire the ancestors spoke to me… They said that Caroline was the key to everything. They gave me this vision- a terrible vision of what will happen in the future if Caroline doesn't regain her memories fully"

"Oh god…" I said, feeling a pit form in my stomach, "What was the vision?"

"It was a world where Vampires became extinct and where werewolves would rise up and kill all of witches, throwing off the balance of nature forever"

"What does that have to do with me?" I exclaimed, genuinely confused as to why the ancestors think that I could possibly have enough power to determine the fates of species.

"Something that you need to remember from your past is the key to stopping the annihilation of the vampire and wiccan species" Bonnie said seriously.

"I can't do this… I can't!" I said, getting to my feet and pacing the living room. I could feel the panic well up inside of me as this next disaster started to sink in. I had just accepted the fact that I was from the past and now I had this to wrestle with… I wasn't important enough for all of this…

"Yes you can Care" Stefan said calmly as he got his feet as well and came to stand in front of me. He opened his arms and I fell into them gratefully, laying my head on his shoulder as Bonnie came to stand behind Stefan. "We're all here to help you. It's not just Stefan and me behind you, the Originals are too. We know that this is real and we know the consequences… we won't stop until we figure this out"

"Well yea, our survival's kind of depend on it now" I joked as I held in my tears, and I smiled as Stefan squeezed me tight and I heard him chuckle through his chest.

We sat back down and I told them about the dream I had last night, the evidence that Elijah showed me and I even told them that we were able to trigger a memory. Bonnie grinned when I told them about the kiss and commented that maybe this process wouldn't be as bad as I think. I laughed along with them and slowly both of their spirits rose, and I pretended that mine did as well. But whenever I smiled or laughed it would smack me right in the face that the fate of two supernatural species was dependent upon me remembering a past that I was made to magically forget. As the day wore on a significant weight settled more and more heavily on my shoulders…

* * *

"Have you heard from Caroline today?" I asked Rebekah, leaning my head into the living room to see her laying on the couch reading a human magazine.

"No why?" she said without taking her eyes off of the page she was reading.

"She asked if she could come back and she… hasn't yet" I said, feeling foolish even as I said it. I didn't like showing vulnerability or doubt, especially in front of my siblings.

"I'm sure she got caught up with Stefan, he said he was heading over there this morning" she said as she looked up at me.

"I'm sure that's it…" I said, feeling a twinge of disappointment that she forgot about coming back to me after last night. But I imagine that all of this must be very overwhelming for her.

"Elijah?" Rebekah called after me as I walked out the door, so I turned back into the room.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you just call or text her?" she asked, like it was obvious.

"I- I don't have her phone number… what is texting?" I asked

"Um it's like emailing through your phone except its faster" she explained, "I can teach you" she smiled.

"You can?" I was surprised that she offered, and I was more surprised when I sat down on the couch beside her. She eagerly launched into her lesson, showing me how to start a message and then how to type on the infernal miniature keyboard.

"You text like a 70 year old woman" was her evaluation of my skills after a half hour of lessons.

"Blame the teacher not the student" I smirked at her, proud of my skills despite Rebekah's lack of faith.

"Yea yea" she waved me off as I got to my feet.

"Oh what's-"

"Her number? It's already in your phone" she smiled again without looking up from the magazine that she picked back up. I smiled down at her for a moment before leaning down and kissing her forehead. Without saying anything else I left the living room and went back up to my own room, eager to try out this texting thing.

I settled back against the headboard and scrolled through my contacts to the one that I had never used before, Caroline Forbes Cell, and I selected it.

 **Me: Good evening Miss Forbes**

I typed out the message to her, not sure about what to send, but settling on a formal greeting.

 _Caroline: Well I only know 1 person who would send me a text like that…_

And I smiled at her witty remark, and the fact that I was the first one to spring to her mind.

 **Me: My reputation proceeds me**

 _Caroline: Are you sure that's a good thing?_

 **Me: Only if you think it is**

 _Caroline: Kiss up_

 _Caroline: lol_

 **Me: What is LOL?**

 _Caroline: It means "laughing out loud" haha… new to this?_

 **Me: Rebekah taught me 10 minutes ago…**

 _Caroline: aww bonding time_

 **Me: Quite**

 **Me: How are you?**

 _Caroline: I'm fine._

 **Me: Why don't I believe that?**

 _Caroline: Bonnie told me everything_

 **Me: Good. Its better that you know all of the information, but I am sorry. I wanted to tell you everything but I didn't want to overwhelm you.**

 _Caroline: They say ignorance is bliss._

 **Me: Not when it comes to your safety**

 _Caroline: (: (that's a smiley face)_

 **Me: Funny enough I could figure that one out (:**

 _Caroline: You'll be a pro in no time at this rate_

 **Me: I welcome the practice**

 _Caroline: What are we going to do Elijah?_

 **Me: We'r going to get through it together love**

 _Caroline: Stefan knows everything too.._

 **Me: The more the merrier… although we might want to exclude the rest of your group**

 _Caroline: that goes without saying, they hate your family_

 **Me: we have more important things to worry about… will I see you tomorrow?**

 _Caroline: I know I was supposed to come back later this afternoon but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, im sorry_

 **Me: I completely understand**

 _Caroline: Can I come over tomorrow after school?_

 **Me: Of course you can. Do you want Rebekah to drive you from school?**

 _Caroline: Yes please!... I guess I should go to sleep so I can wake up on time to get to school_

 **Me: Good night Caroline**

 _Caroline: Good night Elijah, see you tomorrow_

 **Me: it can't come soon enough**

 _Caroline: (:_

* * *

 **You guys are seriously the best readers out there for not hating me for my lack of updates. I'm right in the midst of finals, completing my thesis and getting ready to graduate. I haven't given up on this story, not by a long shot, I'm just asking for your continued patience and love!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	17. Interventions

_Elijah: Good night Caroline_

 **Me: Good night Elijah, see you tomorrow**

 _Elijah: it can't come soon enough_

I smiled down at my phone, looking at his words and realized that I felt the same way. There was a tingle of excitement running up my spine and pooling in my stomach at the thought of seeing him tomorrow; but I couldn't exactly tell him all of that.

 **Me: (:**

I decided to send a smiley face and then turned my phone off, scared that if he responded then I would never get to sleep. Even as I felt the excitement flutter within me at seeing him so soon, talking to him had actually calmed me down. Stefan and Bonnie were great but there was something about having Elijah on my side that gave me confidence. Even before I had met him Elena had talked about him and how honorable he was, and she may have mentioned how handsome he was too. I smiled as I thought about how gentle and understanding he had been the night before when he was trying to explain everything to me… and my smile deepened when I thought about how he had kissed me. I sighed as I turned off my bedside lamp, knowing I probably wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

I was getting a bit frustrated. After going to the Originals mansion every day after school for two weeks we hadn't been able to trigger another memory. Rebekah and Elijah had both talked to me about certain memories that they had of us, but nothing had been strong enough to trigger a memory yet, and I know I wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

"Maybe we should try throwing you off a cliff" Rebekah said with a sigh after spending a half hour describing my bedroom from the past, only to have me staring blankly back at her.

"Not funny" Elijah said with a stern look. The three of us were sitting in the living room, Elijah was thumbing through his mother's grimoire for the hundredth time and Rebekah and I were sitting on the couch. My mom had just texted me for the second time asking when I would be home and I was tempted to say now. It wasn't that I didn't like spending time with Rebekah and Elijah, it was just that it's been the same routine for two weeks and I haven't spent any time alone with Elijah. Not that I was desperate to spend time alone with him… it might just be nice to spend time with my "fiancé". He was so focused on finding a magical fix to our problem, especially since I hadn't been able to trigger a memory and the dreams at night had stopped.

"I think we should call it a night" Rebekah sighed as she got to her feet, "I'm starving"

"No killing the locals" I laughed and Rebekah giggled

"Yes mother, I know the rules. You and Elijah have me on a strict blood bag diet"

"Two against one, that hardly seems fair" a voice said from the doorway and I spun around to see Klaus leaning against the doorframe, "I for one am on team human. Nothing beats taking it right from the source" he smirked and I glared at him.

"Well I think the council would notice if a bunch of townspeople started dying, and you can't kill everyone" I said

"I can try"

"Niklaus! Please refrain from threatening an entire population" Elijah said, getting to his feet and walking to stand in front of me, "Come Caroline, I'll take you home" he held out his hand for me and I took it, grateful to get away from Klaus. I hadn't seen him since the day after Bonnie told me of her vision and I had been speaking with Elijah about it. Klaus had wanted to go to New Orleans to try and get some answers, apparently a group of witches there owed him a favor. Elijah had said all we needed was time to figure this out here, without uprooting my life, but Klaus wasn't convinced.

"Without her memories we don't know what side she is truly on brother" Klaus said, cutting his eyes at me across the table in the library.

"She is here and she is willing to try, isn't that enough for you brother?" Elijah had answered, gesturing to me.

"No it isn't! She could've been sent here as a spy for that pathetic doppelganger. She and the eldest Salvatore are just waiting for the right opportunity to strike"

"They wouldn't do that. They know you would kill them if they tried anything. Especially without Stefan, Bonnie and I to support them" I assured him, but Klaus merely narrowed his eyes at me.

"I do not trust you Miss Forbes, nor do I particularly like you and-"

"You don't trust me! I was almost used in your sick little sacrifice last spring and you killed one of my best friend's aunts, not to mention the torture you put Stefan through all summer!" I had started moving around the table as my voice and anger rose, but Elijah stopped me by gripping my wrist, "If you wanted to take a survey I would say the least liked or trusted person in this room- no in this town! Is you!"

"Well it seems the kitten still has her claws" Klaus smirked as he walked slowly around the table to close the distance between us, "I will be watching you Miss Forbes. Closely" he said in a deathly low tone before brushing past me and out the door.

I was brought back to the present when Elijah opened the car door for me before blurring around the front and getting into the driver's seat. Normally Rebekah drove me to the mansion and then drove me home later on her way to see Stefan, but I loved the times that Elijah offered. His car was black and sleek on the inside and it smelled like him, I always found myself taking a deep breath whenever I got in. We sat in silence for a minute before I had to break it.

"You don't have to worry about Klaus you know, he just says things like that to get a rise out of me" I assured him, worried he thought I was upset about Klaus.

"Yes, getting a rise out of people is a hobby of his" he muttered, but he smiled over at me, "Would you allow me to collect you from school tomorrow?"

"Really? Um yea that would be great" I smiled at him, excited for the change in plans.

"I figured we could do something different tomorrow, get out of the mansion for a while"

"I would like that" I said and he smiled over at me again as he pulled into my driveway behind my mother's cruiser. He blurred out of the car and over to my side to open the door for me and took my hand as he walked me up the porch steps to the front door. I held my breath as he turned to face me, so sure he was about to kiss me after two weeks of nothing. He would sit next to me on the couch every day, knee touching mine and arm thrown over the back of the seat, so close to me yet so far. He had grabbed my wrist when I wanted to attack Klaus, and this is the second time he held my hand as he walked me to the door after dropping me off. But just like last time he brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. Any touch from him sent a rush of excitement to pool in my chest, and this kiss sent goosebumps up my arm, but I found myself feeling a bit frustrated. With all of my past boyfriends it had been as if they couldn't get me into bed fast enough, and not that Elijah was my boyfriend or anything, but he wasn't even trying to kiss me again.

"Until tomorrow then" he said when he released my hand.

"Goodnight" I said with a small smile before I opened the door. As I closed the door I saw Elijah walk back down the steps, get back into his car and drive away. I took a deep breath and prepared for the usual disapproving conversation with my mother. Every night she would casually ask where I had been and start in on the lecture about not trusting the Originals and wishing I would reconcile with Elena because Damon kept asking her what was going on with me. I had told her that there was a magical situation with the Originals and that we were on the same side. I didn't want to give her any details because I knew she would freak out and get overprotective.

"Caroline? Honey?" my mom called from the living room and I heard her pause the movie she was watching and I sighed.

"Hey mom" I said as I walked past the living room and into the kitchen to get a blood bag out of the fridge.

"Were you with Elijah Mikaelson again?" she asked as she came into the room behind me.

"And Rebekah" I nodded.

"Honey, I would hate for you to lose your real friends because you're spending so much time with the Mikaelson's"

"I see Bonnie and Stefan every day mom, and sometimes Stefan is at the mansion too"

"I'm talking about Elena and Matt too"

"Mom…. I know what I'm doing alright. It's a little complicated and I don't know everything yet… but- I'm ok. I promise. Can you trust that?" but she didn't look convinced.

"Caroline, I was talking to Damon today and he's worried about you- and about Bonnie too, I guess she hasn't contacted Elena in two weeks"

"Well neither have I. And, for the record, she hasn't contacted either of us"

"I'm sure whatever the fight was about doesn't really matter now, does it?" and I considered her words. In every other petty fight we had gotten into I would agree, two weeks later we would have been laughing and best friends again, but this was beyond her. I was faced with something that was bigger than anything I had ever imagined, and I didn't need to add reconciling with Elena on top of it when she was hell bent on not being supportive.

"Mom, it's more complicated than that…" I sighed.

"Well at least tell me that you and he are being safe" she said anxiously and it took me a moment to realize what she meant.

"Mom! Oh my God!" I exclaimed as I pushed away from the counter, "First of all him and I aren't doing anything, we're just trying to find the answer to a mystery that's come up. And secondly, I cannot get pregnant!"

"I realize that Caroline… I just meant- are you being safe with your heart? He's been around a long time honey and I would hate to see your heart get broken" she said and my anger melted away at her anxious expression. I walked over to her and hugged her.

"Trust me, he doesn't want to hurt me. I will tell you everything, but right now is not the right time. Just know that Stefan and Bonnie know what is happening and are helping me along with the Mikaelson's" I murmured over her shoulder as I continued to hug her.

"I do trust you honey, it's the Mikaelson's I don't trust" she said honestly.

"I understand that, I didn't trust them myself until recently" I admitted

"But you'll tell me what's going on soon... You're not in danger are you?"

"I'm fine mom" I said with a smile and she finally nodded, after patting my shoulder she returned to the living room to finish whatever movie she had been watching. I knew I would have to tell her everything eventually, but I was too tired for this to be that time.

The next day at school seemed to drag, and it didn't help that I kept looking at the clock every five minutes.

"You have got to chill Care" Bonnie laughed at lunch when I looked at the clock for the third time.

"I'm just nervous I guess!"

"Nervous about what?" Rebekah asked as she sat across the table from us with Stefan.

"About whatever your brother has planned for us this afternoon"

"Why would that make you nervous? You see him all the time"

"Yea but not alone"

"Ohhh" Rebekah said, "I didn't realize that- I'm sorry Care, I just wanted to help you guys figure this out"

"I know that, don't worry about it. I like spending time with you too" I smiled across the table at her and she returned it. Stefan was staring at something over my shoulder so I quickly spun around to see Elena, Matt and Tyler a few tables away from us, and Elena and Tyler were glaring at our group while Matts back was to us. Bonnie turned around as well and made a disgusted sound before laying her hand on my shoulder to turn me around.

"Just forget about them" she said

"My mom talked to me last night about reconciling with Elena. Maybe I should take a picture of the look she's giving us now and just show it to my mom the next time she starts a lecture" and Rebekah laughed.

"Damon tries to lecture me every night about you guys too" Stefan sighed

"I hope you told him he could go to hell" Rebekah pouted

"That's exactly what I told him" Stefan said as he took her hand on the table and Rebekah perked right up.

"Well whenever they want to get their heads out of their asses and talk to us, we'll be waiting" I said just as the lunch bell rang to signal the start of the next period. As soon as the Biology teacher started her lecture I tuned her out and my thoughts wandered back to what Elijah had planned for us this afternoon. I wondered if it was going to be something romantic. I guess it didn't really matter… but ever since that first night I had felt this weird distance between us. Not that we were close friends before that night, but it had felt like Elijah was invested in me and had wanted to get close to me, and now it seemed as though he was backing off and I didn't understand why. Maybe this afternoon would be the perfect time to ask him about it… The last two hours of the afternoon ticked by slowly but finally the final bell rang and I hurried to my locker, only to find Elena waiting in front of it.

"Hi" she said simply as I stood in front of her

"Um hi" I said, confused at what she thought she was doing after two weeks of glaring at me.

"Going to the Originals after school?" she asked nonchalantly

"No"

"Really?" she said, for a moment breaking out of her cool countenance while I did the combination to my locker.

"Yea, Elijah is picking me up today and we're doing something else" I said, putting the right books into my bag.

"Caroline we need to talk about this. It's getting ridiculous"

"I agree! It was ridiculous how you, Damon and Matt just completely turned against us without hearing anything about the situation!" I said exasperatedly.

"Well it's not like you offered up any explanations!"

"Well sorry I didn't want to walk over into the land of glares and jabs to explain it to you. I don't need this right now, I have enough to deal with" I said as I slammed the locker shut and walked right by her, hearing her gasp of indignation. I quickened my steps as I walked through the halls in the direction of the front door, and when I was almost there I found my path blocked again, this time by Tyler.

"Get out of my way" I said with a glare

"Come on Care don't be like that" he sighed as he tried to touch my arm but I roughly pulled away from him.

"I'm serious Tyler, back off" I hissed

"Or what? You'll sick your new boyfriend after me" he said angrily.

"He's not my boyfriend! But even if he was its none of your business"

"Of course it's my business! You moved on awfully fast after we broke up Care… is he compelling you?" he asked, his tone suddenly serious as he brought his hands to my cheeks to hold my head in place while he stared into my eyes, as if they would tell him the answer to his question.

"How dare you" I snarled at him as I broke free from his hold, "He doesn't have to compel me to want to spend time with him Tyler. And if you were smart, you would NEVER touch me again" I snarled and bumped his shoulder as I walked around him, noticing how few students there were in the halls anymore. I pushed through the front doors and thankfully took in deep breaths of fresh November air. I saw Elijah's car across the lawn and smiled as I began walking toward it, and I got halfway across the lawn when my arm was grabbed and I was pulled backwards. I expected to see Tyler standing behind me but it was Damon holding onto my arm.

"Seriously! Did you guy's plan an intervention day or something?" I said in exasperation.

"Where do you think you're going Princess?" he asked, completely ignoring my question.

"Elijah is here to pick me up" I sighed and he looked over my shoulder and must have spotted Elijah's car because his expression darkened.

"I can see that! Have the three of you gone completely mental?"

"What is your problem Damon?... and get off of me!" I said as I tried to shake my arm out of his hand but he only tightened his grip painfully.

"Have they completely brainwashed you three? If Stefan isn't with you then he's with that she-Original and you're even worse! Always over their house or with one of them! And you even corrupted Bonnie-" as he spoke his voice got louder and his grip tightened even more causing me to whimper as my temper rose.

"Nobody did anything to anyone! Now get your fucking hands off of me!" I growled and finally succeeded in shaking him off, but instead of backing off he took a step toward me and grabbed my throat, almost completely cutting off my air. I tried clawing at his hand but he wouldn't loosen his grip, even when a voice spoke up from behind me and he shifted his focus over my shoulder.

"Take your hands off of her this minute or you will lose that hand" Elijah said in a deathly quiet tone.

"Why do you even give a damn what happens to her? She's nobody! She's-" but he didn't get to finish his sentence because Elijah sped at him and sent him flying through the air. I looked around quickly to make sure there was nobody watching and I noticed that the parking lot was almost empty and the only people in sight were the track team members doing laps on the other side of the school. I brought my eyes back to Damon as he rushed to his feet and charged at Elijah where he was standing next to me. Both of them are blurs of movement as they punch and kick each other, both drawing blood from the other, until I finally see a chance to spring in between them. I hold my hands out and catch them both in the chest as they tried to come at each other again. I turned to Damon first.

"You need to grow up and stop these childish fights Damon!"

"He started it!"

"You had me by the throat!"

"Well you were pissing me off" he hissed and I sighed in exasperation as I turned to Elijah, but I was shocked to see his Vampire features, and a chill went up my spine as a white light blinded me for minute and I felt myself falling...

We were in a huge chamber lit only by a roaring fireplace and a few candles, and I felt my entire body ache and pain radiated from my neck. Elijah was sitting beside me, rolling up the sleeves of his dirty and bloodied shirt. The black veins appeared around his black and red eyes and I saw a flash of fangs before they were ripping open his wrist. He quickly brought the wrist away from his mouth and forced it against mine. I tasted a gush of blood as it entered my mouth and slithered down my throat. I gagged on the terrible taste and thick texture and I fought against his hold, but I would have had better luck fighting with a statue for all the damage I did. But even as I fought against his hold, I felt an electric energy flooding my body and limbs, warming them, and I felt better than I had all day. After a few moments he took his wrist away and I scurried away from him to stand on the other side off the bed, gasping for air.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I heard myself shriek at him as I wiped my mouth with my torn sleeve.

"I was healing you Caroline…" he said calmly with his palms out as he lifted himself off the bed, "I didn't tell you how because I knew you would object-"

"Oh so by all means, force it down my throat!" I yelled

"I had to heal you! Caroline you were bleeding out" he yelled right back at me.

"That's right, I forgot. You make all of the major decisions for us… like coming into my life, turning it upside down, making me fall in love with you, and not telling me your deepest secret!" I tried to hold in the angry tears that threatened to emerge. He stood there with the bed separating us, and stared at me, his eyes intense.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice low, and I realized what I had revealed…

"I- I was- I was yelling at you! For ruining my life!" I tried to stammer, but he was walking around the bed, coming steadily closer to me and I stood there frozen until he was right in front of me.

"No, after that" he murmured, his thumb under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"I- I was mad at you for… for making me fall in love with you…" I admitted again…

And then I was aware off the sound of tires screeching on the road and of jerking slightly as a turn was taken. I opened my eyes and saw that I was with Elijah in his car.

"Caroline? Are you alright love?" he asked when he saw that I was awake. I nodded as I sat up straighter in the seat and saw that we were now parked in the Mikaelson's driveway.

"Yea I- I'm fine. I just had another memory" I said with a smile and I proceeded to tell him about it and by the end he had a huge smile on his face too. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I told you I loved you as I was screaming at you" I laughed and he chuckled in return.

"Nothing about our relationship was conventional" he said fondly

"Still isn't" I muttered and he looked over at me.

"Come, I have something to show you" he said and gestured for me to get out of the car. He met me in front of the car and took my hand, leading me around the side of the house and to the backyard where we continued to walk into the trees of the forest that surround the back of the mansion. We walked in silence along a small path through the trees for about five minutes. Our breath fogged in front of us as our feet crunched over frozen leaves and twigs, and before we broke the cover of trees I could hear horses galloping and neighing in the distance.


	18. miSTAKEn

"So how was your special afternoon with Elijah?" Rebekah asked with a wink when I settled back onto her bed and got comfortable, and I couldn't suppress my smile.

"It was amazing" I said honestly

"What did you guys do? He wouldn't tell me anything" she pouted as she laid down beside me.

"He took me to the stables behind the mansion"

"But aren't those empty?"

"Not anymore" I smiled over at her, "Elijah brought over his horse from Italy, a beautiful brown horse, and he brought over Klaus's as well" I said with distaste, "But that's not the best part! He bought me a horse too!"

"He bought you a horse!" Rebekah exclaimed and I giggled.

"Yea! I was surprised too! And Rebekah, she's beautiful and pure white just like Hope was"

"You remembered Hope?" she asked happily

"Yea I did. It wasn't a full black out memory it was more like a thought that popped into my head and I just knew her name"

"But he said you triggered a full memory yesterday?"

"I did- but it was earlier, right after school. Damon tried to stop me from going with Elijah and obviously I told him to go to hell but then he grabbed my throat-"

"Ohh I bet Elijah didn't appreciate that"

"No way, he attacked Damon and they started fighting. When I tried to break them apart I saw Elijah's vampire features… it triggered a memory of a time when I saw it in the past"

"Wow… that must have been intense" she said quietly

"Tell me about it…" I replied but then we both perked up when we heard a knock on the front door, "That must be Bonnie" I said as I got to my feet and we both made our way downstairs to let her in.

"Hey guys" Bonnie said with a smile when we opened the door. Rebekah led the way to the living room off the entranceway and we all sat around the round coffee table in the middle of the room.

"So is it just us here?" Bonnie asked, failing to be nonchalant and Rebekah giggled.

"Elijah is gone for the weekend and Klaus isn't here" Rebekah assured her and Bonnie did look relieved.

"Alright let's get this project over with" Bonnie said as we settled into the living room, surrounded by our textbooks and notebooks.

"Grumpy hon?" I asked as Bonnie flung her backpack off her shoulders.

"Just annoyed, I had to dodge Elena and Matt yesterday and Damon was at my house this morning" she sighed.

"Elena tried to get to me too! Tried to talk me out of coming here every afternoon, but I blew her off"

"Well she must have made a B-line for me because she came over to me when I was at my locker after school"

"Right after Elena I got ambushed by Tyler- the asshole accused me of moving on a bit fast after our breakup. Oh I'm sorry, did you not like me hanging out with the guy who saved me after you bit me!?" I said, getting frustrated all over again by Tyler's stupidity and male ego.

"I actually need to talk to you about him… Damon told me something this morning in between lecturing me"

"What? Something about Tyler?" Rebekah asked

"Yea, he said three days ago Tyler was staying late at the school to work out-" I scoffed, "and he was attacked" Bonnie finished

"What?" Rebekah exclaimed

"Is he ok?" I asked at the same time

"He healed pretty quickly, but he woke up covered in bite marks, he was tied up and he was bleeding from his mouth- choking on his own blood" Bonnie shuddered and I shook my head in confusion.

"Who would want to attack Tyler? Besides his exes" I couldn't help but slide in.

"Damon seems to think it was because his blood might be used in a spell of some kind- because he's Klaus's first hybrid or something-" Bonnie said but Rebekah interrupted.

"I don't think that's it" she said softly, "Bonnie… were his gums damaged?" she asked

"Yea they were…" she said in confusion before a look of realization came over her face, "Oh no…"

"What am I missing this time?" I sighed, not liking to be in the dark again.

"I'm guessing someone attacked Tyler to steal his venom" Rebekah explained, and the implications of that statement started to sink in, hybrid venom was lethal to both werewolves and vampires.

"Well awesome!" I said sarcastically as I slumped into the back of the couch. I definitely didn't need this mystery added to the ones already firmly perched on my shoulders.

"Who would do something like this though?" Bonnie asked

"Well when it comes to his family you can take your pick of any number of enemies" Rebekah sighed

"You don't think it's… Mikael, do you?" I asked Rebekah and the color drained from her face.

"I- I don't think so… we desiccated him years ago. Nobody knows where he is" she assured me, it seemed more like she was assuring herself, but I nodded along. Bonnie knew that an enemy of the Originals named Mikael was responsible for my kidnapping and torture in 1504 but I hadn't told her that he was their father, and it didn't feel like my place to.

"So Mikael is one of your enemies?" Bonnie asked

"He was our most dangerous enemy… He chased us for centuries- destroying anything that we loved and anything that was good… I guess you can't pick your parents right?" Rebekah said disgustedly.

"He- he was your father?" Bonnie looked horrified.

"He hasn't been our father since before we turned" she answered defiantly and I reached over and took her hand, squeezing it in support, and she seemed to calm down a bit.

"I didn't mean to upset you" Bonnie said apologetically

"Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong," she smiled, "We just need to figure out who took Tyler's venom" and Bonnie agreed. As the two of them continued to talk I glanced over Rebekah's shoulder and saw a shadow moving away from the doorway, and knowing that Elijah was out of the state left only Klaus as the person that had been eavesdropping on our conversation, and that filled me with a sense of dread and I wasn't sure why.

Several hours later we were finally putting the finishing touches on our project, and Bonnie and I couldn't stop yawning.

"Alright you two need to go home" Rebekah giggled

"I feel like such an old woman! It's only 10:30!" I whined as I looked down at my watch.

"Yea but you've been here every night until after 11 all week"

"True…" I tried to say around another yawn

"Well personally I don't care about being an old lady when I get Damon banging on my door at 7am on a Saturday" Bonnie said with a laugh, "So I'm going to head out"

"I'll be right behind you, I have to run upstairs and grab some stuff from Rebekah's room"

"Alright. Bye Bekah, see you guys Monday" Bonnie said with a smile as she slung her backpack on and headed out the door.

"You can go grab your bag, I'll fix the furniture"

"No I'll help you first" I said. Throughout the project we had all spread out and moved the couch and chairs further away from the table so we could lay out all of our work and make more sense of it. As we finished with the furniture I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

 _Elijah: How is your project progressing?_

 **Me: Done :)**

 **Me: How is your top secret mission progressing?**

 _Elijah: haha I told you why I was in Chicago love_

 **Me: I know…**

I sighed as I put my phone back in my pocket, realizing how much I missed having Elijah here after two weeks of seeing him every day. It felt like it was… right, like there had been a hidden hole in my heart that I didn't know needed to be filled until he came back.

"Elijah?" Rebekah asked

"Yea" I smiled, "Is it weird to miss him?" I asked her

"No of course not" Rebekah came over and took my hand, "technically you've known him for two weeks in this life, but you knew him for almost a year in your past life… and everything is so chaotic and intense right now, it's natural to bond with him more quickly" she assured me

"Was he… I don't know I just-" I tried to find the right words, but I was embarrassed by my own doubts. I wanted to ask her if he had been this standoffish in the past with me. He had been so intense when he was trying to get to me and convince me to believe him, but he seemed to have cooled off…

"What is it?" Rebekah prodded gently

"Never mind, it's nothing" I said with a smile, not ready to confide in Rebekah yet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, I'm fine" I assured her

"Okay. I may be Elijah's sister but I am also your friend and if you do ever need to talk I'm here" she said sincerely. I threw my arms around her and squeezed, letting her know how much I appreciated her without having to say it. "Alright, let's go upstairs and get your stuff so I can kick you out and take a shower" she laughed as she pulled away from me. As we walked up the stairs I felt my phone buzz again.

 _Elijah: I wish you were here with me, there are so many things I want to show you._

 **Me: I wish I was there too… it's weird without you here honestly**

 _Elijah: Have I become a habit already Miss Forbes?_

 **Me: More like a hobby lol**

"Do you smile like that when you text everyone?" Rebekah teased me when we got to her room and I just stood in the doorway looking down at my phone typing.

"No!" I said with a giggle.

"Well you should feel honored, I can barely get a text back from him and it seems like the two of you are writing a novel"

"No… we just like to check in with each other" I defended him

"Hmm… Does he text you first thing in the morning?"

"Yea"

"Do you fall asleep talking to him?"

"Not every night"

"And do you check in during the day even though you know you'll see him at 3 every afternoon?"

"Alright, what's your point?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest

"My point, baby vamp, is that you've got it bad" she smirked at me and I just shook my head as I ducked to pick up my bag and jacket so she wouldn't see me blush.

"Whatever, I need to go because you need to take a shower because you're icky" I giggled as she threw a pillow from her bed at me. I blocked my nose as I backed out of the room and Rebekah just growled and aimed another pillow at me but I blocked it with her door. I checked my phone again as I walked down the stairs and saw that there was another text from Elijah.

 _Elijah: Is that all I am?_

And I sucked in a breath when I read his question. In person he was extremely polite but distant, why couldn't he be like this when I was with him? But I guess I wasn't really putting myself out there either. I was still so confused around him that I'm sure I gave off mixed signals… But I decided to be honest.

 **Me: No, not at all**

And then I hit send after I had closed the front door behind me. I sucked in a breath when I saw that he had read my message, and I was imagining what his facial expression was as he read it. Hopefully he was smiling. I dug my keys out of my bag while I walked down the dark driveway to my mom's car, and right before I went to put the key in the lock I felt my phone vibrate. Before I could unlock my phone and read Elijah's response I heard a faint sound behind me, I tried to turn and look around but before I could I felt that familiar half second of pain and then the world went dark.

I jerked back to consciousness with a gasp and the first thing I notice is that I was in a moving car, and the second thing I quickly notice is that Klaus was sitting beside me driving. I groan as I sit up straighter in my seat, rubbing the back of my neck as it throbbed. I sat in silence for a few moments, waiting for him to say something, anything, for an explanation, but none was forthcoming so I decided to break the silence.

"And you snapped my neck because…?" I said sarcastically

"This is called a kidnapping love, I couldn't exactly have you screaming and resisting" he said nonchalantly, as if I had just asked him about the weather.

"First of all, do not call me _love_. Second of all, why the hell are you kidnapping me?" I couldn't bear to hear him call me love, especially when I liked it so much when Elijah did it.

"Because I do not trust you… _love_ " and I saw a slight smirk come across his features when he used the pet name.

"So a kidnapping is your first course of action? You're insane"

"I've been called worse"

"Oh, that I am sure of" I grumbled, and he didn't comment. We sat in silence again for a few minutes, and as I looked around the car I noticed that it was 1:53 in the morning. I sighed again when the silence became too much.

"Why don't you trust me?" I asked, genuinely curious as to what I had done to warrant this expedition.

"Because your little friends are up to something and I think you know what it is"

"I don't! I've barely spoken to them in weeks!"

"I heard what Bonnie said, I know Tyler had his venom stolen. There is something going on-"

"But I have nothing to do with it Klaus!"

"People have been after my family for centuries Miss Forbes, people much smarter than you," I scoffed at his rude remark but he continued to speak, "and I am tired of not knowing what is going on"

"How do you plan on getting to the bottom of this? Elijah is the one that triggers my memories and you separated us"

"We are going to New Orleans. A coven of witches there owes me a favor"

"The hell we are!" I shout, and we continue to argue for at least another hour, neither of us making much headway. At one point he even tried to convince me that this was a good thing, that I could prove my loyalty once the witches did their spell to regain my memories. The only thing that stopped our bickering was the sound of the gas light coming on.

"Damnit" Klaus said under his breath

"Oh you didn't fill up the Bat Mobil before you attempted the kidnapping?" I said sarcastically and Klaus mumbled something under his breath about silent prisoners. He pulled off the highway at the first exit and into the first gas station we saw, a rather creepy run down station with a broken pay phone. Klaus turned off the car and opened his door before he turned around and grabbed the back of my neck, forcing my face close to his and his eyes met mine.

"You will stay in the car" he compelled me before abruptly releasing his hold on me and blurring out of the car. I slumped down into my seat and closed my eyes as I tried to reign in my temper and try a different approach with Klaus. I was honestly surprised me hadn't just snapped my neck again with how much I had yelled at him, but he just continued to argue right back the whole time. Maybe I could make some sort of a deal with him… But my thoughts were interrupted when I felt the car shake and a loud sound of something falling on the hood forced my eyes open. My mouth fell open in horror when I saw at least twenty vampires surrounding the car and more were coming out of the trees surrounding the small station. Klaus Immediately dropped the gas nozzle and had the hearts of two vampires in his hands before I could even blink, and then he jumped over the car to attack a group of three of them. I threw open the door and jumped out, immediately snapping the necks of the two vampires closest to me. As I go to snap another vampire's neck I feel my arm being bent behind my back painfully and his hand shoots out in front of me with a sharpened stake poised at my chest. Without thinking I bring the heel of my boot down as hard as I can, shattering the bones in his foot, and the momentary distraction was all I needed for the stake to miss my heart and enter my side instead. I ignored the pain and focused on turning so I could snap with his neck with a growl. After he was down I quickly pulled the stake from my side with a snarl but was pleased when it started to heal immediately, and I pocketed the stake. I didn't know how long I fought alongside Klaus, but after a while both of us were covered in blood, Klaus more so than me with his propensity to go after their hearts. When there was only a handful of them left I found myself getting a bit cocky, and that was when I made a mistake. I tried to jump over a vampire that was charging at me but I couldn't quite clear him and he grabbed me and yanked me against his chest. I tried to struggle against his hold but I felt a pinch and burning sensation in my arm, and I noticed the syringe grasped in his hand. I felt this surge of anger in me and I turned around without much effort and plunged my hand into the vampire's chest, clenching his heart tightly in my hand before yanking it from his lifeless body. I stared down at the heart in my hand, feeling both repulsed and empowered by the dense weight of it, before I callously dropped it to the ground next to the body I had killed. A few vampires turned and ran back into the woods leaving only four remaining, all of whom were focused on Klaus. Three of them were struggling to hold Klaus between them while a fourth was standing behind him with his arm raised high, a strange looking stake in his hand. In a split second I realized that it was a white oak stake in the vampires hand and I found myself speeding toward the vampire from the side and tackling him to the ground just as he was about to bring the stake down.

I had managed to pull the wooden stake from my back pocket and as I tackled him to the ground I aimed the stake at his chest, but as I fell on top of him I felt an unimaginable pain in my own chest. As the vampire desiccated beneath me I looked down to see the white oak stake sticking out of my chest and I felt the strangest sensation radiating out to the rest of my body…

* * *

 **Dun dun dun dun... Why would Caroline throw herself in front of a stake for Klaus? Let me know what you think ;)**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	19. Greatest Strength

**Sorry for such a long absence! Its much harder to juggle Grad school, my clinical practicum, a job and a social life than I anticipated. However, I did mange to get a Beta reader over the summer and we've already started working on Chapter 20! Everyone say hi to Mikayla! She will be editing the chapters and keeping me on track. And I wanted to thank everyone who sent me messages during my hiatus to keep me motivated, you guys are the best!**

 **So without further or due...**

* * *

As the vampire desiccated beneath me I looked down to see the white oak stake sticking out of my chest and the strangest sensation started radiating out to the rest of my body, and I rolled to the ground on my side, desperately trying to take in air. A painful tingling started in my fingertips and I felt it slowly creeping to the rest of my hands to my wrists, and slowly up my arms as waves of cold swept over me. Then gentle hands turned me onto my back and I see that Klaus is leaning over me, his brow furrowed in concentration before it smooths in relief.

"Thank god, it missed your heart" I heard him say over the rushing sound in my ears and I couldn't find the breath to answer him so I just lifted one of my hands to see what the tingling sensation was, and I was terrified to see that my hand had turned grey and was starting to desiccate.

"What the hell… you're desiccating?" Klaus looked horrified as he grasped my hand, examining how the grey seemed to slowly be spreading up my arm before he laid my hand back down, "This is going to hurt love…" he said before he ripped the stake out of my chest. A gush of blood poured from the wound made by the stake, but an instant feeling of relief also followed where I was able to catch my breath.

"Your family… is going to… be the death of me" I wheezed and Klaus actually smiled down at me before he offered me his hand. When he pulled to lift me up I gasped in pain and released his hand, feeling an explosion of pain in my arm from the where the syringe injected me. Klaus bent down beside me again and ripped the sleeve off of my shirt to examine my arm.

"Well I suppose we know now where Tyler's venom went…"

"I guess I just need to almost die for you to believe me" I said through gritted teeth as Klaus poked my arm and I hissed at him.

"Such dramatics" he shook his head with a smirk. He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and bit into his wrist and then offered it to me while he supported the back of my neck. I hesitated a moment, knowing how intimate vampires found the act of blood sharing, but a particularly painful throb down my arm made my decision easier. Again I felt the sweet feeling of relief sweep over me as Klaus's blood worked through my system. After a few minutes Klaus helped me to my feet and then started to bring all the bodies into the woods beyond the station. I wasn't able to do much, my body seemed to be racked with exhaustion, but I was able to help him. We managed to bring all the bodies in the woods, then Klaus took a match from his pocket, lighting the pile on fire as we walked back to the car.

"Wont the fire make the gas station explode?" I asked before we reached the car

"The pile is far enough away that it won't reach the gas station before the authorities arrive, and by that time the bodies will look like a pile of ash"

"I take it you've done this before?" I asked with a smirk and he grinned back at me over the car as he opened his door. As I settled into the passenger seat and Klaus drove off I noticed that the tense atmosphere from earlier was completely gone. Klaus sped away from the gas station and got back on the highway, but I noticed that he was heading North again, and not toward New Orleans. I smiled but didn't draw attention to his change of heart, expecting that he didn't like that sort of thing to be broadcasted. As we drove along in silence for a while I thought about what happened earlier. Why would so many vampires have attacked us? Did someone send them, and if so, who? And why had I thrown myself in front of Klaus? I remember seeing a flash of Elijah's face, twisted in agony, in the event of his brother's death. I knew Elijah and Rebekah, for all the fighting that they did with Klaus, would be destroyed by his death. Maybe I cared about the Mikaelson family more than even I knew…

"Why did you do it? Why did you risk your life for me?" Klaus asked me suddenly as we reentered Virginia, as if he had been reading my mind.

"I don't know… I just knew that I couldn't let you die" I said, not ready to tell him the real reason, and he was silent for a moment as he drove, before he turned to me.

"Well, you have earned my trust Caroline… even if you did do it for Elijah" he said as he smirked and I grinned even as I flushed, embarrassed that he was able to read me so easily.

"Does this mean no more midnight adventures out of the state?" I asked cheekily.

"We'll see" he mumbled, but I could see his right dimple so I knew he wasn't serious. After another hour we were pulling back into the driveway of the mansion, at 6:45 in the morning.

I don't know what I expected to happen when we finally returned home, but I definitely hadn't expected to see Elijah rushing out of the front door and attacking Klaus. His eyes immediately met mine as he opened the front door and I saw him take in my bloodied and dirty appearance before he lunged at Klaus.

"Brother I-", Klaus started to say but Elijah punched him across the face before he could get anything out. When Klaus opened his mouth to speak again Elijah threw him across the front lawn and into the driveway, speeding over to where he landed before kicking him in the stomach. Klaus blurred to his feet and rushed at Elijah in return.

"What the hell is happening?" Rebekah's voice said from beside me and I jumped in surprise, being so focused on Elijah and Klaus I hadn't even heard her approach. She looked over at me for an answer and then her eyes widened as she too took in my ragged appearance. "Oh god… Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Klaus and I were attacked" I said, never taking my eyes off the dueling brothers.

"By who?" she asked, outraged.

"A small army of vampires" I said and I saw Elijah pause and look back at me just before Klaus succeeded in landing a blow across his face.

"Stop it! Both of you, right this instant!" Rebekah yelled in exasperation, "We need to figure out what is going on and we can't do that with your fists aimed at each other". Klaus lowered his hands slowly and relaxed his fighting position and then Elijah followed suit, but the dark expression never left his face, even as he made his way over to me. He brought his hand to my cheek and his eyes raked over my body, probably searching for visible injuries.

"Are you alright" he murmured to me as Rebekah made her way over to Klaus down the driveway.

"I am now" I said with a small smile as I felt the tension leave my body with his light touch.

"What happened?"

"Klaus and I were attacked"

"By whom?"

"At least twenty new vampires" Klaus cut into the conversation as he walked by us with Rebekah, heading to the front door, "If you're quite done maiming me I would be happy to relay the tale". I rolled my eyes at Klaus's use of the word _maiming_ as Elijah took my hand in his and followed his siblings through the door and into the front sitting room where we all took seats in the available chairs, Elijah as far from Klaus as he could get.

As the silence lengthened so did the shadows in the room from the rising sun, and my level of exhaustion and hunger slowly started to rise as well. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, trying to keep myself awake enough for the talk with the siblings, and I felt the couch dip as Elijah moved closer to put his arm around me. As the warmth of his arm covered my shoulders I felt that familiar feeling of peace settle over me, and I noticed that my hunger and exhaustion started to recede bit by bit until I felt almost normal again… Did Elijah's touch just do that to me? Add that as another mystery to solve later. Despite the mystery and how right I felt his touch was, this casual touching was still new to us and I felt him stiffen a bit at my side when he realized what he had done.

"So what happened?" Rebekah finally asked when the silence became unbearable.

"Before or after I was forcibly kidnapped?" I asked with a smirk in Klaus's direction

"Come now love, I thought we were passed all that" he smirked in return, but the smirk dimmed when Elijah spoke.

"You're not passed it with me Niklaus," Elijah said in a deadly serious tone, "Tell me why you took her"

"I took her because I did not trust her" he said simply

"And what reason did she give for you not to trust her? She has never done anything-" Elijah started to say but Klaus held up his hand.

"Last night when the girls were doing their schoolwork I overheard the witch say how Tyler Lockwood had his venom taken. I thought that it was her little group of friends planning something- obviously I was wrong!" he added when he saw my mouth open in protest. He continued to describe how we were headed down to New Orleans for some answers from a witch coven he knew when we had to stop for gas, and he described the attack unfolded. He described the fight in detail, and I was nodding along until he said, "She's almost useless in a fight though" with a smirk on his face.

"What? I saved your sorry ass from a white oak stake through the back" I retort back, angry he was diminishing what I did for him.

"Yes but you didn't kill a single vampire Caroline"

"Yes I did! I killed the one that injected me"

"That was rage and blood lust from the venom-"

"And I killed the one that was about to kill you!"

"Caroline, if you weren't killing them then what were you doing?" Elijah interrupted quietly

"She was snapping their necks" Klaus answered with a look in Elijah's direction, "She needs to be able to defend herself" he said and Elijah nodded

"I know" he said simply

"Hello! I'm right here!" I said petulantly, annoyed that they were talking about me like I was a child, and that was when Rebekah spoke up.

"Caroline… being connected with this family comes with a certain amount of danger- and we want to make sure that you are able to defend yourself if we're not there to help you" she said gently to me and I felt my anger recede a bit.

"So Klaus is just going to teach me some moves or something?" I asked, looking over at Klaus, but it was Elijah that answered me.

"No he's not… I am"

* * *

After the discussion with my siblings, Rebekah brought Caroline upstairs for a shower and a change of clothes, not wanting to bring her home to the sheriff in her bloody and ripped ones. When I heard the water turn on I made my way to my study for a drink, my head spinning. It had been a long night. Rebekah had discovered Caroline's broken phone in the driveway after she went out to investigate why her car was still there after she had said she was leaving. She called me back from New York and I returned home only a short while before Klaus and Caroline did, covered in blood… I had been so focused on trying to get my Caroline's memories back that I hadn't taken into account this new person before me. This new century Caroline had retained her sense of loyalty and forgiveness, but she had gained a fierceness and a strength that my old Caroline never had. This new Caroline had saved the life of my brother… she had come back to me bloody and hurt but unbroken, willingly agreeing to defensive fighting lessons. Those lessons… they were going to be trying. How could I look at her and think of ways to attack her without seeing the fragile human I fell in love with? And how could I be close to her, touching her, without taking it too far? She has been through so much recently that I wouldn't want to do anything to confuse or hurt her by pushing her too far…

"Brother…?" I heard Niklaus's voice say from the doorway and I turned. I had still not fully forgiven my brother for kidnapping Caroline, but I could understand the motivation to protect ones family above all else.

"Yes Niklaus?" I said

"There is something more I wish to discuss with you"

"About Caroline? Do you have something more to accuse her of?"

"No! I admit I was wrong to doubt her, she has earned my trust Elijah…"

"What is it you would like to discuss then?" I ask with a sigh, cutting him off.

"Is she on vervain?" he asked, and I had to pause a moment before answering, very surprised at his line of questioning.

"Um, she told me Stefan was almost finished growing more but she ran out over a week ago" I answered, thinking back to the conversation by the stable.

"As I suspected… I didn't taste any vervain in her blood-"

"And how would you know what her blood tastes of Brother?" I said, feeling anger build again

"I did not drink from her Elijah!" he assured me, "Some of her blood was on my hands from pulling the stake from her stomach… and I was curious about the compulsion"

"What compulsion?"

"I did not want to draw attention to it earlier…" he murmured, coming further into the room and closing the door behind him, "but I compelled Caroline to stay in the car when the army of vampires arrived"

"And she overcame your compulsion when she left the car?" I asked in awe as Niklaus nodded, "and you couldn't taste any vervain in her blood at all?"

"The venom was a bit strong, but no… and this is not the first time she has done it either."

"What do you mean? You've tried to compel her before?"

"The first day I met her," he nodded, "it was after I had taken her as an insurance policy against her friends retribution for turning Tyler- yes I am aware that has backfired, thank you Brother- anyway, when her friends came to rescue her I compelled her to stay in the basement. I went upstairs to fight the little brats off but she was able to follow me up and leave with the Doppelganger. I thought she must have been on vervain then and I thought nothing of it, but what if it is more than that?"

"It could be a side effect from whatever magic is at play here that reincarnated her"

"Only our family can resist compulsion Brother" Niklaus argued, but a sudden realization dawned on me. I had officially asked her to be my wife, she had accepted and had signed her name Caroline Forbes Mikaelson on that letter to Niklaus…

"She disappeared as my fiancé… perhaps when she became a vampire in this life it triggered something- a transformation of some sort"

"You think she is becoming an Original?" Klaus asked, shock covering his features

"Perhaps…"

"Just add that to the list of unanswered questions we have surrounding your little cheerleader then Brother"

"It does seem to be a lengthening list doesn't it?" I grinned

"Indeed it does… and…" Klaus hesitated before reaching around and pulling something from the waistband of his black jeans, "we also need to discuss this" he said, showing me the white oak stake. I shoved away from the fireplace and made my way over to Niklaus, extending my hand for the stake. It was about fifteen inches long, deadly sharp and soaked in Caroline's blood.

"Where would the army have gotten this?" I asked him

"There are only two people outside of Mystic Falls who know our weakness Brother" Klaus said as I handed the stake back to him.

"Yes but one is desiccating in a tomb fifty miles away and the other would have no reason to come after us" I argued.

"You cannot be that dense Elijah! Katarina is nothing if not cunning and if she thought she found a way to be free of me forever then she would take it"

"She has been running from you for centuries brother, she would not risk her life by attacking you and incurring more of your wrath" I argued and Klaus was silent for a moment.

"Are you still in love with her brother…?" he asked quietly

"No… I do not believe I was ever truly in love with her…" I admitted. I had thought that Katarina could be the love of my life, and her love had almost cost me my brother, but then I had met Caroline Forbes. She had taught me what love was; that it was never one sided and it was never perfect, but that it was worth it.

"Good." Niklaus said after a short silence, "loving her would have been the end of this family. She would have been a liability and your weakness" he said with venom.

"And Caroline?... What will come of loving her?" I asked him, fearing his answer, but knowing that it could never change how I felt about her.

"Loving Caroline Forbes… may just be your greatest strength…" he said quietly with a hint of a smile before he turned on his heel and left my study, leaving me standing there in stunned silence.


	20. Target Practice

I was so nervous as I drove to the Mikaelson's house that my hands were shaking. Today was the first day of my self defense lessons with Elijah and I had no idea what to expect. Being close to him was so intoxicating I didn't know if I was going to be able to focus on defending myself from him when I wanted him close. I understood why this needed to happen; being associated with the Mikaelson family came with a certain amount of danger, especially if my past life was anything to go by. It would just make everything so much easier if I could remember everything from my past; Rebekah would be over the moon, Elijah would feel much more comfortable around me and we would finally have all of our questions answered. Elijah's current distance was adding to my anxiety about this whole situation.

I took a final deep breath, steadying myself, as I parked in front of the Mikaelson Mansion. I made my way up the front walkway and through the front door, where I promptly ran right into Klaus.

"That's alright love, no need to knock or anything" he grumbled

"I never knock when I come in anymore!"

"Acting like she bloody owns the place now…" he continued to grumble as he brushed past me and out the front door, and I could hear the mumbling continue all the way to his car.

"Don't mind him, he's in a mood" Rebekah said with a smile as she came down the stairs.

"Isn't he always?" I joked and she nodded

"Come on, Elijah is out back" Rebekah gestured and started leading me through the house. When we got out to the back patio I cast my gaze around the backyard but I couldn't see Elijah anywhere.

"I thought you said he was back here" I asked her

"He is! He said he found a clearing a little ways through the trees, I bet we can-" but she was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing in her pocket, "Hello? Oh hi Tracey! Yea I'm leaving right now!" And I looked down at her outfit and realized that she was actually dressed to go out, and for some reason that made me even more nervous. I had just assumed that Rebekah would help Elijah train me. "-Yup! See you soon" and then she hung up the phone.

"You're leaving?" I asked her nervously

"Yea I'm studying with Tracey and Bonnie today"

"Why wasn't I invited?" I whined, wishing I could attend the safety of the study group.

"Because this is serious Caroline! You need to learn how to fight if you're going to be part of this family!"

"But!-"

"No buts! Now get your ass into that forest and kick my brothers!" she grinned. I nodded my head with a sigh and she turned around and headed back through the house. I scanned the tree line more closely as I started to make my way through the yard and eventually reached the trees. I stepped carefully over twigs and leaves, going deeper and deeper into the trees as my anxiety grew. I couldn't find him anywhere. I was starting to get impatient when I heard a leaf rustle just to my right, but before I could turn in that direction was attacked and thrown into the air. I missed hitting any trees or branches, but I landed on my back with a hard THUD.

"Lesson One: Always be aware of your surroundings" a smug voice said with a bit of laughter, and I looked up to see Elijah leaning against a tree. I quickly raced to my feet, a blush darkening my cheeks in embarrassment at being caught off guard by him. But when I got to my feet I was only able to stare at him stupidly as my mouth went dry. He was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged his waist and hung sexily down from his hips; and the tightness of his black t-shirt highlighted the lean muscles of his stomach and left the toned muscles of his arms bare.

"Caroline?" he asked, his brow furrowed, and I realized I hadn't said anything yet, being too preoccupied with his change in outfit. I was so used to seeing him in his formal suits and ties that I was left a bit breathless to see him in such a carefree appearance.

"What?... Oh right! I did hear you but you got to me before I could turn!"

"And that would be part of our problem love" he smiled as he pushed off from the tree, "We need to work on honing and sharpening your senses, and then we shall move onto your speed and then into more defensive moves"

"And what about offensive moves?" I challenged, quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't think you will have any need for those Caroline" he said softly as he moved closer to stand directly in front of me. He brought his hand up slowly, grazing his fingers against my cheek, "You should never be in a position where you would need offensive moves" he said. I swallowed, not sure what to say when his hand dropped and he backed away again, the tense air lightening a bit. I took a deep breath and shook myself.

"Alright fine, how do we start 'honing and sharpening my senses' as you put it?" I asked, using air quotes and earning a smile from Elijah. He gestured for me to follow and started leading me a few yards through more trees into a clearing.

"Go and stand in the middle of the clearing" he said and I did as I was told. I faced away from him and waited for more instructions. After a minute of standing in silence my impatience started to rise and I turned to look back at him but he was gone. I circled in place, my eyes raking over the dim tree line at the edge of the clearing but I couldn't see him anywhere.

"Close your eyes" came Elijah's whisper in the wind. I shook my head in exasperation but again did as I was told. With my eyes closed I felt my other senses awaken and start to stretch out. I could feel the weak fall sun warm the skin of my face and cool fall air blow through the fabric of my sweatshirt. I could smell the slight decay of the leaves on the ground and a hint of Elijah's cologne that lingered on my clothes from his earlier ambush. But my sense of hearing was threatening to overwhelm me. I could hear every bird chirping in a one mile radius, every rustle of the leaves and snapping of branches would set me further on edge as I tried to listen for Elijah.

"You need to reach out with all of your senses together Caroline" Elijah's whisper rasped in my ear as he sped up behind me.

"I thought that I was" I whispered back, a small sigh leaving me as I felt his warm hands lightly on my waist.

"You're not… You're reaching out with each of your senses in turn and not altogether. Once you are able to open up all of your senses you will truly be empowered" he continued to breathe into my ear as the pressure of his hands on my waist tightened. Despite the fact that his presence was intoxicating I tried to do as he asked, I tried to stretch out all of my senses at once but one was always more heightened than the others. I screwed up my eyes and doubled my efforts. I felt Elijah's hands leave my waist and he made his way around to face me. Again I tried to stretch out all of my senses evenly but there was a barrier I couldn't cross and I grunted in aggravation as sweat started to bead across my forehead. Elijah stood in silence and left me to my internal battle… and I spent the next two weeks in a steady mixture of aggravation and desperation, with no progress in sight.

I did eventually gain some distance in the perimeter of my sense circle, as I was now calling it, but it wasn't anywhere near as far as Elijah could go. After he was satisfied with the first lesson we moved onto the next. Elijah had borrowed a crossbow from Stefan and together the two of them had fashioned new paint soaked blunt foam tips. They didn't cut or draw blood, but if I was still human they would leave a killer bruise, but for now their purpose was to treat me as a human dart board. Whenever an arrow met its mark it would leave me with a paint stain, but thankfully the paint marks were considerably reduced by the end of the second week. That night when I was peeling off my sweaty and paint marked jeans I decided that I needed to talk with Elijah about his training method. I would be very calm and mature and make him see reason…

We had moved from the clearing into the dense cover of the trees for our little games of paint ball, and it seemed we were going to remain here for the next lesson.

"What now Obi-Wan?" I asked when I walked up to him on the first day of the third week of our lessons. I was getting a bit exasperated with the entire process. I had thought that these defense lessons would involve hand to hand combat and I would be learning with defensive weapons but the only thing I've learned is how to avoid being hit with paint soaked missiles and how to hear a bit further.

"Well I thought that we would continue with-"

"Ugh!" I interrupted him with a loud sigh and he quirked his eyebrow up in amusement, "I am so sick of dodging these stupid paint pellets! I want to learn how to actually fight!" I complained.

"I would think that you would be sicker of getting hit with the paint pellets" he answered with a smirk that only served to irritate me further. He set his bag down at his feet and crossed his arms, waiting for my reply.

"Yesterday you were only able to hit me with 1!" I defended myself

"Yes and that was one too many" he said back, all teasing gone from his voice, "what if it wasn't harmless paint? What if it was a wooden arrow drenched in vervain?... or worse, werewolf venom?"

"Elijah I…" I started to say but he cut me off, too caught up in his passionate speech.

"I know you think these exercises are tedious but I am doing this to keep you safe"

"I know that…" I sighed, "and I appreciate it- I DO!" I said as I closed the distance between us when his eyebrows raised again, this time in disbelief. I laid my hand on his chest and looked up at him in silence for a moment, while he gazed back down at me.

"So you want to learn more defensive moves?" he asked after a minute.

"Yes please" I said with a smile, happy with my victory despite the drama.

"Then run" he said with a smirk, and my heart sped up when I realized what he had said, and without another thought I took off through the trees. I weaved in between trees and jumped over every obstacle and I was so focused on leaving behind no clear trail that I didn't hear Elijah come up behind me. He grabbed me around the waist, bringing me to a complete stop, and knocking the wind out of me. Being a vampire meant I didn't need to really breathe, but the feeling was disorienting. He made his grip tighter and reached around me to grab my neck.

"And what is the problem with this position?" he breathed into my ear, and I had to stop myself from saying what I was thinking _, absolutely nothing_ , but I tried to think of an appropriate answer.

"Ummm… You could bite me" I said breathlessly, not being able to help the shiver that went up my spine when he stiffened a bit against me, no doubt thinking what I was thinking…

"And if I was a werewolf that could be deadly" he finally said, "What else?"

"And… you could snap my neck" I suggested

"And when you fall unconscious you leave yourself vulnerable for any enemy to kidnap you or simply kill you where you fall"

"Understood" I said, feeling the gravity of his words settle around me.

"Good… again" he said, releasing me, and the day continued in the same manner until the sun started to set.

"I think that's enough for today" Elijah said, brushing some dirt from his knee after tackling me to the ground for the seventeenth time.

"Oh, did you get tired of kicking my ass?" I asked with a chuckle as I slowly got to my feet, and he offered me a hand to help.

"I could never get tired of that love" he said with a smile as he turned around to retrieve his jacket from the ground, "Anyway tomorrow I think we should work on more specific defensive moves instead of simply evasive moves…" he was saying as he strode away, unaware of the perfect target his back was making at the moment. Without thinking I blurred toward him, my vampire features coming out with the excitement of the attack, and before I could wrap my arms around him from behind I found myself trapped beneath him on the forest floor.

"So you want to learn some offensive moves?" he asked and I nodded breathlessly, "Lesson one: dispense with the battle cry" he laughed, "and lesson two: don't pick a fight with an Original"

"I honestly do not even remember making a sound" I laughed, letting my head fall back in defeat. After a moment I picked my head back up with a smile, but it slowly faded when I realized that he was still laying on top of me. I became hyperaware of the hard panes of his body pressing against mine, and of the way his heartbeat seemed to pick up as I continued to look into his eyes. He sucked in a breath as he realized the position we were still in, yet he did nothing to separate us. After a moment he started to lower his lips to mine slowly, eyes drawn in a silent question, and I answered by bringing my lips up to meet his. His kiss started slow and sweet, but quickly turned hurried and passionate as our suppressed desires took over. His hand traveled down from my cheek to caress the curve of my hip and then lower to cup the back of my knee as I brought my legs around him. I felt my way up the hard panes of his chest and into his hair, feeling the softness of it through my fingers as I lightly scratched his scalp. He made a noise low in his throat that had me arching my body into his, desperate to close any space between us. He ground down against me, his hardness pressing between my legs making me moan into his kiss. His other hand tightened on my waist as he slid his hand under my shirt and he broke away from my mouth to trail kisses down my neck. I felt his right hand leave my thigh and gently trail up my stomach and chest to where the zipper started and he slowly pulled it down as he kissed back up my neck to recapture my lips. My entire body felt like it was on fire at every point that his body touched mine and then he-

"I see that training is progressing…passionately" Rebekah's voice floated over us, breaking through the fog of desire that had wrapped itself around Elijah and I. He broke away from my lips and looked up at Rebekah in exasperation, but making no move to get off of me.

"Did you need something sister?" he asked her calmly with a sigh. I craned my neck to look at Rebekah and saw that there was a smirk dominating her entire face even as she tried to hide it with her hand when she caught my eye.

"Your cell phone has been ringing off the hook and I didn't recognize the number"

"And what would you like me to do about that?"

"For all that is holy I would like you to answer the damn phone before I break it!" she answered with an exasperated sigh before she turned on her heel and made her way back to the house through the trees.

I turned my attention back to Elijah, who was still hovering above me, and I lowered my hands from his chest back to my sides. He lowered his eyes to meet mine and I could see the internal struggle happening behind them. If we didn't follow Rebekah back up to the house then it was a guarantee she would come back, probably more violent than the first time, but to do that he would need to let go of me… So he sighed one last time as he slowly got to his feet, then he offered me his hand to help me to mine. He reached forward and picked a leaf out of my messed up curls as I pulled the zipper of my sweater back up, both of us a bit flushed from what almost happened. My whole body felt slightly tingly and my blood hummed through my veins in excitement. No other boy had ever had this effect on me before. Damon had been a fast burning, compulsion induced nightmare. Matt had been safe and comfortable, but lacking in the passion I had felt with Tyler. And Tyler, Tyler had been forbidden. He had been both comfortable and passionate and I thought I would love him forever. And then the same person that had forced Tyler from me had also brought me Elijah…

"Shall we?" Elijah asked me, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts as he held his hand out to me.

"We shall" I said as I smiled and grabbed his hand, and we walked back to the house in companionable silence. The one major change I had noticed since we started doing these lessons was how much more comfortable Elijah seemed to touch me.

We got back to the house and Elijah left me with one last lingering look before he went to his study to deal with the incessant caller. I grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and made myself comfortable at the kitchen table, sipping my snack… Until I heard what sounded like a light knocking sound. I perked my ears and widened my senses like Elijah taught me. I could hear Elijah's murmuring tone from across the house, and again I could hear a light persistent knocking and then what sounded like distant voices. The voices sounded vaguely familiar and I could tell that the knocking was coming from a door down the hall from the kitchen. I got to my feet and started following the noise.

* * *

 **To start the new year off right I will be posting a new chapter every Sunday for at least the next three weeks, maybe more if I can make some progress!**

 **Happy New Year!**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	21. New Awakening

"Thank you very much for the information Selena. An associate of mine will be down to collect the herbs tomorrow"

"As I said in my message though, there is no way to know that the herbs will even work Elijah" the witch on the other end of the call replied.

"I understand. Are there any risks associated with taking them?"

"There shouldn't be, but you may want to monitor her for the first few minutes after taking them"

"I can do that"

"There's also no way to know when the memories will start to surface, if they do at all"

"Understood. Thank you for all of your assistance Serena"

"My pleasure Elijah, please remember our bargain"

"I won't forget it" I assured her, and I hung up the phone, dropping it onto the couch as I slumped down into it. My bargain with Selena was of no consequence, I was more preoccupied with her news. A few weeks ago I had asked my contacts to research the magic surrounding suppressed memories and Selena was the only witch to respond with a possible solution. The combination of herbs she had created were supposed to lower the magical barrier separating Caroline from her past conscious and enhance her own aura to accept the memories. I wasn't a witch expert like Kol but it sounded promising; although I was hesitant to get my hopes up. We hadn't been able to trigger a memory in weeks and I was starting to feel desperate. I crossed my arms and stared into the fire, deep in thought. I had just gotten to my feet, intending to rejoin Caroline in the kitchen, when I heard a gasp and a dull thud. I blurred from the room, desperate to find the source of Caroline's gasp.

* * *

I followed the noise through the kitchen and down a back hallway, it was dimly lit and flanked on both sides by a series of closed doors. I made my way down the hall slowly, listening carefully for the knocking and voices; I stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall that I thought the knocking was coming from, but the voices never got any louder. I hesitated in front of the door for a moment, unsure if I should go and get Elijah first, but before I could make a decision, the lock clicked and the door quietly creaked open revealing stairs heading down into darkness. Again I opened my senses, and I could hear the knocking sound coming from the depths of the darkness. I ran my hand against the wall and found the light switch before I made my way down the steps. At the end of the stairs I was again facing a dimly lit hallway, flanked by closed doors, but when the knocking became more insistent I hurried down the hall to find it. A door on the right, near the end of the shadowed hall suddenly swung open when I reached it. The light I switched on did little to lend light to the small room, but I could make out three large shapes in the middle, and when I got closer I realized that they were coffins. My eyes immediately went to the coffin on the far left and my legs started carrying me over to it, my brain buzzing mindlessly as my hand reached out. I opened the lid and saw a young man lying back against a white silk pillow, wearing an old fashioned suit with some sort of knife sticking out of his chest. There was something familiar about him and I couldn't stop my hand from reaching out to cup his cheek – and I was blinded by that now familiar white light…

 _I was riding through a snowy Forest on the back of a large horse, and I then knew that the horses name was Hope and that she was mine. The landscape was beautiful with the freshly falling snow but the air was bitterly cold._

" _You are far too beautiful to be so lost in thought" a voice called out to me and I whipped around in the saddle to see a young man leaning against a tree a few yards away from me._

" _Excuse me?" I said, offended._

" _I was merely commenting on the fact that you seem to be troubled and giving you a compliment at the same time" he smirked, obviously pleased with himself._

" _I think you need to brush up on your skills because you seriously missed the mark with the compliment" I replied and he actually laughed._

" _Well aren't you tasty" he murmured as he pushed away from the tree and took a step toward me._

" _I would keep your distance sir" I warned, raising my voice a bit._

" _And why would I do that?" he asked with a smirk as dark veins began to appear around his eyes, and ironically those veins served to calm me more than alarm me._

" _You're a vampire?" I asked excitedly, and he stopped short, his human features returning as he shot me a confused look._

" _Not the reaction I normally get…"_

" _My fiancé is a vampire as well" I explained._

" _A vampire and human?" he snorted, "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. No vampire has that kind of control"._

" _Well when that vampire happens to be an Original, he has all the control in the world" I looked down my nose at him and his jaw dropped open, much to my satisfaction._

" _You are engaged to Elijah?"_

" _Yes…" I responded, very confused that he knew which Original I was referring to… unless, maybe I wasn't wrong about being followed last week in the village._

" _In that case, I think it is time that I introduce myself"_

" _And why would I care who you are?"_

" _Because we are going to be siblings soon sweetheart," he said and my jaw dropped open, "My name is Kol Mikaelson" he said with a slight bow…_

I came back to the dark basement with a loud gasp of air, breathing rapidly as my mind raced with what I had just witnessed, until I realized I was laying back against something soft and there was murmuring above me. I looked up to see Elijah leaning over me and I realized my head was in his lap. When I caught my breath I hurried to sit up and turned to face Elijah, amazement on my face.

"It's Kol!" I said in awe and at his silent nod I blurred to my feet and looked down into the coffin at Kol again, but I noticed something was missing.

"You undaggered him?" Elijah asked and that's when I noticed the long slender knife clutched in my hand.

"I guess I did… I didn't know I was even doing it though I swear"

"It's alright love, if he can help trigger your memories then maybe it is time we woke him" Elijah said from behind me as we both heard a pair of heels walking down the basement steps.

"Oh good, I was just beginning to think that things weren't interesting enough around here" she said as she came into the room and saw me standing over Kol's coffin with the dagger in my hand. When I turned and saw her grinning I felt my body relax and smiled back at her.

"I was thinking the same thing" I said

"Let's go upstairs and have a drink while we wait for Kol to wake up?" Rebekah said, gesturing upstairs. I looked to Elijah who nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll wait for him to wake up and explain everything"

"Okay" I handed Elijah the dagger and laid my hand on his arm as I walked by him and followed Rebekah back upstairs. I followed behind Rebekah as she retraced my steps through the hall and kitchen until we reached the front sitting room and made our way over to the bar set up in the corner. She poured me a glass of something dark and handed it over to me before pouring herself one, looking at me over the rim as she took a sip.

"So… you remembered Kol" she said

"Yea. I think I remembered the first time we met"

"In the forest?"

"Yea. I was riding Hope and he stopped me in the forest. I think he was surprised when I wasn't scared by him" I chuckled and Rebekah smirked.

"Yea Kol is surprised when women either aren't scared by him or seduced by him" and I laughed, thinking of another Original brother who was shocked by people who didn't think he was scary.

"Must run in the family" I replied, finally taking a sip of the strong smelling liquid. It burned going down my throat but I was pleasantly surprised by the hints of sweetness in the aftertaste. Rebekah and I passed the time talking about the trouble Kol caused in the twenties to get him daggered by Klaus. We were both startled out of our conversation by a knock on the front door. Rebekah left her drink on the bar and went to answer the door, and I heard my mom's voice.

"Hi Rebekah, is Caroline here?"

"Yea she is. Her and Elijah had a training this morning-", Rebekah answered back as I blurred from the sitting room to stand beside Rebekah at the front door.

"Oh! Hi honey. You weren't answering your phone so I figured I would try you here"

"Oh yea I'm sorry, I left it in my bag while Elijah trained me… What's wrong?" I asked, worried that something bad must have happened to drive my mother to the place that housed the Original family.

"Oh nothing, I just got called in to work. Deputy Powell's wife just went into labor so he went to the hospital with her" and I smiled.

"Oh that's great! Should we send them flowers?"

"The precinct has already started a fund" my mom replied with a smile, "So I won't be home tonight"

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow"

"Umm… Will you be going home tonight?" and I sighed. I knew she didn't like me spending so much time here but it wasn't like I was shacking up with Elijah or anything.

"Yes mother…"

"Alright… Well I'll see you tomorrow morning then. I love you honey"

"Love you too mom" I replied before she made her way back down the driveway to her cruiser. I sighed again as I closed the door. I didn't want to make eye contact with Rebekah as I walked past her but she gently took my arm, so I had to turn around.

"So I'm guessing your mother still isn't on team Original then?" she asked, but instead of seeing her trademark smirk, for some reason she seemed a little saddened by the idea.

"Well to be fair, Klaus is responsible for countless little evil deeds, Elijah is hell bent on trying to get memories from a 1504 version of me and she has Damon and Elena whispering in her ear all day about how you're manipulating me to nefarious ends."

"Well when you put it like that" she smiled finally, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"What is it?" I asked her softly

"It's nothing"

"Tell me"

"It's just that… back in 1504, when I was staying with your mom and dad and you, it felt like a real family."

"And your upset that my mother… in this life, doesn't feel the same way" and she simply nodded in reply, "Well if it makes you feel better my dad in this life is gay" I laughed and Rebekah finally laughed in return.

"Well things in this life certainly aren't boring. Especially now"

"Because of Kol?"

"Yes! I'm just glad it was you who undaggered him"

"Why?"

"If I had undaggered the cheeky little bastard Klaus would have used that dagger on me. At least since it's you he can't get too mad"

"And why is that? Because I'm just so adorable" I smirked

"Well that, and he's almost as desperate to get your memories back as you and Elijah are"

"Why?"

"Klaus hates a mystery. And as of right now, you're the biggest one yet" and I was about to reply when I saw her eyes jump from mine to something over my shoulder.

"Surely manners are not dead sister, will you not introduce me to your gorgeous little-" but the male voice behind me suddenly stopped short as I whirled around to find the body that belonged to that voice, Kol Mikaelson, leaning against a door jam. His jaw dropped open slightly when he saw my face.

"Not even out of the box for ten minutes and already hitting on your brothers girl, again" Rebekah tsked, before running past me and into the very surprised arms of Kol. He closed his arms around her after a moment, but his eyes never left mine over her shoulder.

* * *

 **Kol is back! And as promised, here's the next chapter. Keep an eye out for the next chapter coming in a week... I wonder how Kol will effect things in Mystic Falls...**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	22. Head Over Heart

I leaned against the wall of the dimly lit cellar room, listening to the comforting murmur of Caroline and Rebekah upstairs, waiting for Kol to waken. I wish I had thought to wake Kol on my own, he is another tie to her past that might help trigger memories. I also had unrealistic hopes for the herbs that Selena was providing. Quarter witches were notorious tricksters, but with the promise to protect the next four generations of her family, she was more than happy to provide genuine assistance. The herbs in question wouldn't induce any memories, but they would open her up magically to catch more memories as they are triggered… if they worked.

A sudden shuddering breath startled me from my musings as I watched Kol sit up in a panic and frantically look around. I waited a minute for his breathing to calm before I pushed off the wall and took a step in his direction.

"Brother I-" I started to say but Kol blurred out of the coffin to stand in front of me.

"Oh save the 'Brother' bullshit Elijah! You stood by as Niklaus ran that dagger through my heart!" he ranted at me before kicking over his coffin.

"It was a turbulent time Kol, and you were out of control-"

"I was!? What about Nik and Marcel? The streets ran red for years before I even arrived-"

"Yes! Enough so that our father discovered our whereabouts and burned Bourbon Street to the ground!" I answered back, my volume rising with his, but to my surprise Kol calmed and took a deep breath.

"Then we shall simply have to rebuild it" Kol said simply, and I froze. I suddenly realized that Kol had no idea how much time had passed since he was daggered by Niklaus… in 1929.

"Kol… Bourbon Street has since been returned to its former splendor…" and I paused. Kol heard my hesitation and stopped his slight pacing to glare at me.

"What year is it…?" he asked, his tone deadly quiet.

"Now Kol, before you become upset I-"

"What year is it Elijah!" he shouted in my face

"2015"

"You kept me in that box for 86 years?" he shouted again

"I tried to find you brother but you were hidden from me and-"

"By Niklaus no doubt. And where is the tyrant now?"

"I do not know"

"Well I hope you awoke me so that I can kill him because that is what I am going to do!" Kohl growled as he pushed past me and blurred up the stairs as I shouted after him.

"Kol I wasn't the one that woke you" but he didn't seem to hear me and I chased after him before he could get to Caroline without my warning. I stopped just behind him as he came upon Rebekah and Caroline in the front hall.

"Surely manners are not dead sister, will you not introduce me to your gorgeous little-", and I rolled my eyes at the instant flirtation, and I smirked as I pictured Kol's face as Caroline spun around. I could see his jaw drop slightly from the angle I stood and his body stiffened. Rebekah made a sarcastic remark before running into his arms, but the stiffness didn't leave his body as he stared at Caroline over Rebekah's shoulder. I made my way around my siblings to stand beside Caroline, taking her hand gently as she smiled at Rebekah and Kol.

* * *

"I think someone had better explain to me what the hell is going on!" Kol exclaimed as he released Rebekah. Elijah poured Kol a drink while Rebekah and I tried to explain everything as best we could, but the holes in our knowledge was extensive.

"So Caroline was… reborn in this time, in Mystic Falls of all the bloody places. Her friends are descendants of her friends from the past. A Bennett witch had a premonition about a world in which Caroline doesn't regain her memories results in Armageddon… splendid. Did I miss anything?"

"Her memories are able to be triggered"

"How?" Kol turned to look at me and I blushed as I thought of the way that Elijah triggers my memories, "Oh ew, never mind" Kol said with a disgusted face and Rebekah giggled.

"Kol, this is not something to be taken lightly" Elijah said in a disapproving tone

"I understand that brother… where do we go from here?"

"I have a shipment of herbs coming from New Orleans that should help trigger more of Caroline's memories" and the news shocked me. I didn't know that Elijah had been working behind the scenes on magical ways to get my memories back.

"You do?"

"I am in contact with a witch there" he explained and then turned back to Kol but I couldn't focus on the conversation. It felt like a lifetime ago that Elijah had me pinned to the forest floor, and it all felt like a lie now. I had gotten too caught up in moment and believed Elijah's passion. His only goal was getting the old Caroline back, his Caroline. He wouldn't want me without my memories. I just wondered how long he was going to be willing to wait…

"Caroline?" Rebekah voice finally floated through my thoughts to grab my attention.

"Yea? Sorry" I whipped my attention up to Rebekah

"You look tired, do you want to spend the night here?" she asked, and I offered her a small smile in return. I had been spending half of my time here lately that it wasn't a strange occurrence for me to spend the night in a guest room.

"No that's alright. We have school tomorrow and I should probably get home"

"But your mom-"

"Knows I'll be home" I said as I stood up, putting an end to the discussion. I needed to get out of this house and away from Elijah. I needed to be alone to gain some perspective and get my head back in the game of getting my memories back. I grabbed the bag that I had deposited by the couch when I first arrived and I turned back.

"It's great to see you again Kol" I said with a smile, "And thanks for the training today Elijah. I'll see you tomorrow Bekah" and then I turned and walked out of the room and out of the door. I fished in my bag for my keys and had just turned them in the lock when I felt Elijah come up behind me.

"I'm sorry if what I said to Kol upset you Caroline" he said quietly, taking my elbow to turn me to face him.

"Don't worry about it" I said with a forced smile

"There is nothing to be scared about with the herbs Caroline. They are perfectly harmless, even if they aren't effective" he said with a reassuring smile, thinking that I was worried about the side effects of the magical herbs. He had no idea what was going through my mind right now, and I couldn't stand the embarrassment right now if he figured it out.

"I trust you" I said simply, working to make my smile more convincing, and it worked because his answering smile widened.

"Good. I would never do anything to hurt you" he said, bringing my hand up to his lips as he kissed my knuckles. I couldn't suppress the immediate butterflies that erupted in my stomach at the look in his eyes and his intimate touch, all in stark contrast to what my brain was telling me.

"I know you wouldn't" and I meant it. He would never try to hurt me intentionally, this turmoil I was feeling was a direct result of my own imagination and stupidity. Elijah released my hand and reached around me to hold the car door open. I slid in and started the car as he closed the door with a gentle thud, and then I was driving away, finally able to take a deep breath. I looked in the rearview mirror to see Elijah standing where I had left him, watching me drive away until he was out of sight through the trees.

The next morning I woke feeling groggy and cranky after not having slept much through the night. I couldn't turn my mind off. My human brain had been neurotic and self-conscious but it had been a while since those thoughts had crept back in since my transition. I checked my phone for any missed texts or calls but there was only one from Bonnie.

 **Bonnie:** Can you pick me up for school tomorrow? Car's in the shop :/

It was sent at 8:30 last night so I quickly shot her a affirmative response back before getting ready for the shower. I was careful to keep my mind blank as I let the burning water wash over my head and shoulders and I concentrated on the smell of my lavender shampoo until I was done. After I had dried my hair I checked my phone again to see another text from Bonnie and from a number I didn't know.

 **Bonnie:** Great thanks! And don't forget we have plans to study with Bekah tonight after training.

 **(978)726-0714:** Caroline Forbes…

Since Elijah had given me the phone three weeks ago I had slowly been adding people's numbers into it, and occasionally I would get texts from other cheerleaders or classmates but I could usually tell who it was by what it said. I didn't recognize the area code for this number and the text itself sent a weird chill up my spine. I quickly sent a text back asking who it was, but after two minutes of staring I still didn't get a response. I took a deep breath and tossed my phone on to the bed so I could finish getting ready for school and then the thought of the mystery number drifted to the back of my mind as I drove to pick Bonnie up. The day progressed in the typical Monday fashion until lunch, when our usual table was invaded by a new face.

"Kol! What are you doing here?" I whispered fiercely to him as I took the seat next to him.

"Well hello to you too Darling" he smirked at me and then his eyes slid off of me and over to Bonnie as she took a seat across from me, "And who might you be?" he asked, his tone clearly going for seductive but Bonnie just snorted at his obvious attempt.

"Bonnie" she said simply

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Bonnie" Kol said with a smirk as he reached across the table to take her hand. I think the goal was to bring her knuckles to his lips for a kiss but Bonnie pulled her hand away in disgust before he could. "Are we skipping the pleasantries and jumping right into bed then?" he said with a smirk.

"I would rather dig my eyes out with a rusted spoon" Bonnie replied with a dark glare

"Such a pity with such beautiful eyes…" he replied

"Who the hell are you anyway?" Bonnie asked, and Kol turned to me with a dramatic sigh, bringing his hand to his chest in mock distress.

"I am shocked love, did you not warn all of your beautiful comrades about my return to the living?"

"Honestly it wasn't very high on my to-do list today Kol"

"Unbelievable… I am Kol Mikaelson. At your service" Kol said, turning back to Bonnie with a slight nod of his head.

"Mikaelson? Rebekah's brother?"

"One of them" I mumbled with a grin as I took another bite of my lunch.

"Obviously the most handsome one" he dug in and Bonnie simply rolled her eyes, "Do not fight this love, it is inevitable…"

"What? Your death?" Bonnie spit out, but before Kol could respond we were joined by Rebekah, who took the available seat beside Bonnie, her face alight with humor at our conversation.

"Oh god! I had to fight not to burst out laughing in the lunch line listening to you children!" she said with a chuckle.

"Well maybe you should refrain from eavesdropping sister"

"Where is the fun in that?" and I shook my head at Bonnie, who was grinning back at me, but that grin quickly fled when Kol turned his attention back on her.

"So what time shall I pick you up?"

"What?"

"For our scheduled tryst? When shall I pick you up?"

"Oh… I should be ready at a quarter past never!" Bonnie said with a growl, a deep scowl marring her features as she shot up from the table and walked out of the cafeteria. Kol's eyes followed her retreat with lust filled eyes and I made disgusted eye contact with Rebekah from across the table.

"Was that delectable little morsel a witch?" Kol asked, eyes still riveted to the doors that Bonnie had disappeared through.

"Why would you think that?" I asked, surprised by the question.

"Because that vixen radiates power" he replied with a seductive smirk and Rebekah snorted with laughter.

"Kol has a bit of an obsession with witches" she explained before taking a sip from her diet soda.

"Trust me, Bonnie Bennet would never even think of dating you Kol, never mind sleeping with you" I said with a grin but Rebekah face palmed herself with a groan.

"And with that declaration, you have just sealed the young witches fate" Kol said, smile beaming and eyes determined as he hurried out of the cafeteria, presumably to chase after Bonnie.

"What did I say?"

"You just told an infamous rogue that a pretty girl would never want him, and in the same breath you revealed that she is part of the most sacred witch lines still in existence to a man obsessed with witches"

"Oh no…" I groaned

"Only a matter of time now" she mused and I shot her a glare across the table as the bell rang.

* * *

The grandfather clock in the front entrance chimed 2 o'clock when my phone buzzed in my pocket as I was climbing the stairs to change for my training session with Caroline. I was concerned about how Caroline had left last night, after the roller coaster of events we went through she seemed to just shut down by the time she left. Hopefully during training today I would be able to break through some of that turmoil and we could talk. I had been so preoccupied lately with getting her memories back I hadn't really taken the time to get to know her. I knew that I loved her sense of humor, her determination and bravery but I somehow felt like I was neglecting her in this life. In truth, these training sessions had been a chance for me to get to know her, along with the added bonus of making her a better fighter and to keep her protected.

My phone buzzed in my coat pocket again as I walked into my bedroom and I pulled it out to see a text from Kol and a text from Caroline. I bypassed the text in all caps from Kol to open Caroline's.

 **Caroline:** Hey Elijah, I can't make it to training today.

 **Me:** Is everything alright?

 **Caroline:** Yea. I have a Miss Mystic thing and I'm swamped with school.

I couldn't suppress the stab of disappointment that I felt at reading she wouldn't be able to come over tonight. My first instinct was to insist that she come over and train, but I couldn't start being a tyrant with her or it would push her away… in truth, I had no idea what I needed to do.

 **Me:** Alright. Let me know if there is anything I can do

I hit send and fell backwards onto my bed and put my head in my hands, sighing deeply. I had bedded many women before meeting Caroline in 1504, and many after trying to fill her gap in my heart, but I was seriously out of practice when it came to romancing them. I don't know how long I sat like that, but it did take Rebeka smacking me on the back of the head to snap me out of my thoughts.

"Why are you wallowing?" she asked as she dropped her school bag and sat by my side on the bed.

"Who said I was wallowing?" I sighed

"Well you're sitting in your room in the dark with your head in your hands… if this is you being cheerful then I'd hate to see true wallowing"

"Touché sister" I smirked at her but she didn't return it.

"Tell me what is bothering you"

"Caroline isn't coming over for training tonight"

"I know. She told me last period after Missy Fell cornered her"

"She has something to do that involves Miss Mystic and her school work seems to be mounting"

"Yea, midterms are coming up… so you're sad that she's not here?"

"I don't want to discuss this Rebeka-" I said, trying to get up from the bed and away from the interrogation, but Rebekah grabbed my arm to stop me.

"If you want to see her then see her!"

"I can't! She didn't invite me over-"

"Elijah this is the 21st century, you don't need a formal invitation to go knock on a front door" and I thought what she said had some truth to it, but I was still hesitant.

"But she is truly busy and I wouldn't want to add more stress to her life than I already have"

"You don't have to go there with some big declaration or plan, you can just hang out with her"

"I don't think I know how to… hang out" I mumbled, expecting Rebekah to laugh at my incompetence, but she didn't.

"Sometimes it is harder to earn someone's friendship than their affections brother" she said softly, laying her hand on my arm, before getting to her feet and walking out of my room. And while I appreciated her support, it did little to make my choice any easier. I didn't know what I would say or do if I even did go to her house, and not having a plan was a bit frightening. I thought back to the way Caroline had looked when she came back with Klaus from their gas station battle, how battle hardened and determined she looked, and I drew a bit of bravery from remembering her expression…

I sighed again, this time to foster some inner strength, and before I could change my mind I started dialing Bonnie Bennet's number…

* * *

 **Okay, so I just wanted to give fair warning that the next chapter has barely been started yet, but I am hoping to keep my promise of the fourth chapter in the fourth week. Classes have started up again for me so I am predicting a longer wait for chapters until the Spring! But I know I have the most incredible readers on this site so I know you'll stick with me until the end.**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	23. The Sweetest Herbs

**Me:** Hey Elijah, I can't make it to training today

 **Elijah:** Is everything alright?

 **Me:** Yea. I have a Miss Mystic thing and I'm swamped with school

 **Elijah:** Alright. Let me know if there is anything I can do

And I sighed as I read his perfectly polite response. A part of me had wanted him to insist that we never miss a day of training. I wanted him to insist that my safety was of the utmost importance. But he didn't… realistically I knew I couldn't go to training after school, even if he did fight for me. Missy Fell had caught me after lunch to remind me of the application review for the next Miss Mystic Falls selection process. As the reigning Miss Mystic it was my job, along with the runner up, to go through all of the applications for this year's batch of hopefuls.

I realized I had been staring absentmindedly at the phone in my lap when it suddenly vibrated with a text from Bonnie.

 **Bonnie:** Matt and Elena are staring at you

My head shot up and I met the glare of Elena Gilbert, staring over at me from her seat diagonally in front of me. As soon as she saw me looking she turned her gaze back to the front of the room, but the ice in her glare was enough to run my blood cold and then hot. It was hot with anger over how she could completely disregard my feelings and what I was going through all because of a feud she had with Klaus Mikaelson. And Matt was no better; he may not have shot me a glare or whispered behind my back, but he had turned his on me. My gaze then turned to Bonnie who shared my look of disgust and a shake of the head. When the bell rang to signal the end of the day Elena and Matt both hurried out of class together while Rebeka and Stefan came over to join me and Bonnie at my desk.

"Everything alright?" Stefan asked, and I smiled sadly at the echo of Elijah's text.

"Yea, just the usual from Elena and Matt" Bonnie answered for me

"Don't let them get to you guys. Damon is still under the impression that the evil Mikaelson's have cast a spell over you two and their desperate to figure it out" Stefan said as he slung his arm around Rebekah's shoulders

"They better be careful, this evil Mikaelson is about to pull out that Doppelgängers hair" Rebekah said with narrowed eyes.

"Easy girl" I said with a giggle, feeling that sense of comradery wash over me as I looked around at our little group.

"Anyway, our little Caroline will soon be ready to kick anyone's ass that comes across her" Stefan said, and my smile slowly disappeared.

"What?" Rebekah asked

"I can't train with Elijah today. I have to look over Miss Mystic applications with Missy now"

"Okay, I can let Elijah know if you want" Rebekah offered

"That's alright, I already texted him"

"You guys are too cute!" she gushed, and all I could offer was a small smile as I gathered up my books and followed the group out of the room. I waved goodbye as everyone turned right to head down the hall and out the door while I turned left to meet up with Missy in the library.

A few hours later I was happily stumbling through the front door of my house, dropping my bag and jacket before collapsing on the couch, avoiding thinking about all the textbooks in my bag. Going through the Miss Mystic applications hadn't been as fun as I thought they would be. As a human I would have reveled in my position of power over the other girls, but after everything that has happened I found it hard to concentrate on such a mundane topic. It didn't help that when I read through every page of trivial pursuits and list of accomplishments, I saw the girl who I used to be. Time dragged on and on as Missy gushed about "this girls calves are way too fat for the crown" or "this bitches eyes are way too close together". I kept having to remind myself that murder is a crime because all I wanted to do was rip her petty little head off. Somehow Missy managed to survive the process of narrowing down 54 applications to 10 for the founder's council to interview.

I sighed as I reached for the backpack at my feet and started to pull out my history textbook and notebook, getting to work outlining the chapters for the midterm. An hour went by where I had carefully outlined 2 out of the 4 chapters I need, when my phone vibrated on the coffee table next to my highlighted book. I picked it up and saw that it was from an unknown number, but once I opened the text history I saw that it was the same number as this morning.

 **(978)726-0714** : Caroline Forbes

 **Me** : Who is this?

 **(978)726-0714** : Someone who knows

And even through the confusion at the answer I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

 **Me** : Knows what?

I replied to the text, but I received no text in reply. I sat there for a while just staring down at the black screen of my phone, wondering and waiting, letting my mind wander over who it could be. Maybe it was Tyler using someone else's phone? He had been avoiding all contact with me since that last altercation with Elijah after school, which was fine with me since I wasn't going out of my way to speak to him anyway. Maybe it was Elena or Jeremy? Trying to sew doubt or fear, or just to have a laugh at my expense with Damon. I was holding onto the idea that it was a prank because the alternative was something I didn't want to think about. Was it someone from my mysterious past? A possible new enemy? I know Elijah and Rebekah said that their father was desiccated and no longer a threat… but what if that wasn't true anymore…

A knock on the door startled me so badly that I dropped my phone to the floor with a dull thud that I could barely hear over my pounding heart. I put my hand to my chest and chastised myself for thinking of such things and being so jumpy. I got to my feet and opened the front door, but a nervous flutter erupted in my chest when I saw Elijah standing there with a leather bag over his shoulder and a plastic shopping bag clutched in his hand.

"Elijah… hi" I said with an uncertain smile

"Good evening Miss Forbes" he returned my smile with a shy one of his own

"Um, what's up?" I asked, and his shy smile morphed into more of a grin at my casual language

"I thought I might get some work done… here" he said uncertainly, "I was also informed that when one is under undue stress, that ice cream is a welcome distraction" he continued as he held up the shopping bag and I could see several containers of Ben&Jerrys ice cream peeking through. I laughed out loud as I took the bag, picturing Elijah Mikaelson browsing through the supermarket for ice cream, and then I saw my favorite flavor was sitting on top.

"Wow, this is great! Come in" I said with a big smile, and Elijah's smile relaxed into a bigger one as he walked past me into the house. I led the way through the living room and into the kitchen to put some of the ice cream in the freezer.

"Which one do you want?" I asked, secretly hoping he wouldn't pick my favorite. He came to stand beside me to inspect the flavors and to my surprise he picked the one labeled 'Chubby Hubby' and I burst out laughing.

"What? Is this not a good flavor?" he asked, all seriousness as he questioned his choice.

"No, no! Its fine" but I couldn't suppress my laughter as I pictured the very proper Elijah eating the ice cream straight out of the Chubby Hubby container.

"If this is not a proper choice then I will choose another" he said stiffly, clearly uncomfortable with being laughed at.

"No!" I yelled, moving to block him from the freezer door, "I'm sorry I laughed. I just thought that the name was funny" and he looked down at the container again, and finally cracked a grin.

"I suppose it is ironic" he admitted, and I handed him a spoon.

"Are bowls no longer customary?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at his container.

"Customary yes, fun no" I replied as I turned my back to him and returned to my seat on the floor in front of the coffee table. I gestured to the recliner and then got back to work on my notes, half my attention on the chapter and half on the Original setting up shop in my living room. After a few minutes of fidgeting and rustling I looked over to see Elijah sitting back comfortably, typing on his laptop, until he paused to pick up the ice-cream from the side table and take a bite. I felt this deep feeling of peace rise up within me as Elijah and I worked in silence together. We didn't have to speak, and for once the silence in the room didn't make me anxious, it felt safe. I was able to finish outlining another chapter in record time, even with frequent ice cream breaks, but sighed as I turned to the next and final chapter. In an attempt to postpone starting the last chapter I decided to start a conversation.

"So when will those herbs arrive?" I asked as I leaned back against the couch and picked up my now half empty carton to take a bite.

"They arrived this morning" he answered, looking up from his laptop screen to my surprised expression.

"They did? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was going to discuss it with you this afternoon at training"

"Oh…" I said, lowering my eyes to examine the fringe on my boots.

"Caroline… You don't need to take them if you don't want to. I would never pressure you into anything you didn't feel comfortable with"

"I know that Elijah… I was just- overwhelmed I guess" I stumbled, not wanting to reveal the more embarrassing truth. Him thinking I was overwhelmed by everything was much better than him knowing I was upset about him only wanting me for my memories.

"That's understandable love, there is a lot going on right now, especially with Kol awake"

"Kol is a handful… Did he tell you that he met Bonnie today?" I giggled and Elijah's grin returned in full force.

"He did say something to that affect, I believe his exact words were 'A firecracker with killer eyes', of course I told him he did not stand a chance at courting Miss Bennet-"

"Rebekah said not to do that!"

"Yes I quickly noticed the folly when he smiled at me in his particularly 'Kol' way…"

"Oh no! Poor Bonnie" I laughed

"Yes Kol is not used to hearing the word no for very long, but somehow I think Miss Bennet is going to give him quite the run for his money"

"Agreed" I laughed and Elijah and I settled back into a comfortable silence for a while, but I found my mind reverting back to the thought of the herbs. They were within my grasp now and I was surprised that I wanted them. I was still confused about Elijah's motivations but I was sick of playing catch up with my past self.

"I want them" I say out loud, my eyes slowly rising to meet Elijah's, and he froze.

"Are you certain?"

"No… But I want answers. I'm sick of this whole mystery past life shit trying to kill us"

"I understand your frustration-"

"I bet! You've been waiting 500 years for answers and I've only known about all of this for 2 months" as I spoke Elijah put his laptop on the side table and moved to crouch in front of me.

"I wasn't waiting for answers Caroline, I was waiting for you" he murmured to me, his hands coming up to cup my cheeks, thumbs gently caressing under my eyes. My breath hitched in my throat at the unexpected touch and butterflies erupted in my stomach; I had to stifle down the urge to sigh into his touch and stay on track.

"Alright then…" I started to say, my voice coming up more breathless than I would like so I cleared my throat, hoping to dispel the new sexual tension, "where are they?" Instead of answering he shifted back up to his feet and walked over to his briefcase, pulling out a wrapped parcel and turning to show me. I blur to my feet and walk up to Elijah to get a closer look. I don't know what I was expecting, some sort of exotic or tropical flower probably, but what Elijah handed me was a bag of ordinary looking green shredded leaves.

"So what do I do? Eat them?" I asked, turning the parcel over in my hand to inspect it.

"You take it like vervain, crush it and mix it with water, and then you drink it" and I nodded along, knowing all too well how to take vervain.

"Should I take it now?"

"I think it would be best if I was here the first time you take it"

"That would make me feel better" I admitted and I led the way to the kitchen. I got to work preparing the herbs and Elijah leaned against the counter to watch me, and before too long I was holding a hot mug of steeping memory herbs. The steam wafted up to my nose and I inhaled, expecting a mild scent like green tea, but I was assaulted by such a pungent odor that I almost gagged.

"Oh God!" I coughed out, "This smells like death twice over!" and Elijah laughed. He leaned forward to take a whiff of the tea and his nose scrunched up in disgust.

"You don't have to drink that Caroline"

"Yes, I do" I said and took a deep breath, soaking up the nerve, and I finally took a big sip, careful not to breathe through my nose to avoid the full taste. I felt the hot liquid slide down my throat, and I was pleasantly surprised by the slightly sweet earthy taste of the herbs.

"How does it taste?"

"Actually… it tastes fine" then I downed the rest of the herb tea, set the mug on the counter and then looked over at Elijah as we waited for the herbs to take effect.

* * *

 **I'm sorry it took me so long to post this newest chapter. Graduate school, my internship and work kept me busy nonstop over the school year, but I was able to write the next 5 chapters. I plan on publishing one a week while continuing to write new ones. I promise to never give up on this story, not matter how long it takes me to finish, I hope to see you at the finish line.**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**


	24. Those Eyes

"They're not working!" I exclaim in frustration as Elijah and I sit silently in the living room, both of us pretending to work for the last hour. We had stayed in the kitchen, just waiting for the herbs to take effect, for over 20 minutes until Elijah suggested that we return to the living room.

"It may take time for them to build up in your system" Elijah replied, closing his laptop and rubbing his eyes tiredly, and it was only then that I realized the time.

"Oh my God, it's almost 2am" I sighed

"You should probably get some rest for school tomorrow… later today"

"Yea, I should" I agreed, standing to gather all of my books and papers and highlighters, and as I started packing them all into my bag I realized there was a pit in my stomach. I looked around the living room and as our messy little world started to tidy I became aware of two things: I had just 'hung out' with Elijah Mikaelson all night, and after he left I would be all alone.

"Elijah I-" I started to say, but I wasn't sure how to communicate that I didn't want to be alone. He must have seen something in my eyes because after a moment he closed the distance between us and gently took my hand.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked me quietly, almost in a whisper as he looked down into my eyes.

"Yes…" I murmured, forcing myself to meet his intense gaze.

"Then I will" he said simply

"Are you sure? You don't have some diabolical plot to hatch with Kol or Klaus?" I joked, trying to lighten the tension that surrounded us, and Elijah smiled in return.

"Diabolical plots can wait, you are more important" he said through the smile on his face and my breath hitched in my throat. I cleared my throat and swallowed, but my mouth was suddenly dry.

"Um okay, thanks" I smiled awkwardly, "I'll show you the guest room"

I walked Elijah up to the guest room, right next to mine, and brought him a towel and a pair of my dad's pajama pants.

"They're going to be too big for you, but they'll be comfortable" I said

"They'll be more than adequate Caroline, thank you" he assured me with another smile. I stood awkwardly in the doorway as Elijah set his bag and the small pile I handed him down on the bed. For some strange reason the room seemed smaller with him in it. The pale blue walls and white comforter seem out of place next to a powerful Original.

"I'm sorry Elijah. I shouldn't have asked you to stay" I blurt out, and he looks over at me in surprise, but the surprise is quickly replaced with a knowing smile.

"Technically you never asked me," he smirked, and walked over to place his hands on my shoulders, "And I want to stay. I don't think you should be alone after taking those herbs for the first time"

"Yea… I think you may have gotten jipped with those useless herbs" I smirked, feeling a little less guilty about wanting him to stay now.

"We shall see" he said, and he leaned forward to gently kiss my forehead, "Goodnight Caroline"

"Goodnight Elijah" I looked up at him, feeling the strongest urge to kiss him sweep through me as our eyes met. His deep brown eyes pulled me in closer and the stubble around his chin and lips tempted me… but he released my shoulders and stepped away before I could do anything. I quickly retreated from the room, closing the door behind me before Elijah could notice the shaking of my hands. I made my way back down the stairs to turn the lights off in the now clean living room, and then went into the kitchen. I threw our used spoons into the dishwasher and then dump out the remainder of the herb tea into the sink. I look down into the bottom of the mug to see if I needed to rinse it first, and what I saw made me pause. In the dregs of mushy leaves at the bottom of the mug I see a strange pattern or image. I turn on the light over the sink and take a closer look, and realize the image almost looks like a pair of eyes staring up at me… And then in a flash, a pair of blue eyes really are staring into mine. In a moment I can smell the scent of fire burning, the yell of distant voices, and those piercing eyes staring deeply into mine. But before I can take in any more details I am standing back in my kitchen. I take a deep breath and set the mug down on the counter with shaking hands, thinking about what just happened to me. It didn't feel like my past memories usually did when they assaulted me. There was no flash of white light and I didn't pass out, it was like a photograph flashed before my eyes, a photograph of eyes that I have seen before. I absentmindedly finish loading the mug and other miscellaneous things into the dishwasher and turn off the kitchen light. I make my way back upstairs and silently pause outside Elijah's door. All I can hear is a faint rustling behind the door and I can't help but to imagine him undressing for the night; unbuttoning his collared shirt and shrugging out of it over his muscled shoulders, slipping his belt from his belt loops… But I stop myself before I can get too riled up, or before I can do something stupid, like knocking or charging in.

After closing the door to my own room I quickly strip out of my boots and jeans and pull my shirt over my head, leaving a trail of clothes as I head into my bathroom. I splash my face with cold water and go about my regular routine, finding comfort in the usual routine despite the original vampire in the room next to mine. Taking off my bra in my own room had never given me pause before, but with Elijah so close I was suddenly hyperaware of the cool air caressing my sensitive nipples and I imagine what it would feel like to feel Elijah- ENOUGH! What is wrong with me? I shake my head and force myself to finish dressing for bed and I keep my mind purposefully blank until I am finally in bed. Even with my mind whirling I find myself drifting to sleep quickly, falling into a dark and deep sleep. My dreams are vivid and they change frequently from thing to thing. After many dark and unsettling sequences I find myself running through the school hallways and I know that I am being chased by something, but I also know that as long as I make it through the front doors then I will finally be safe. As I round the final corner and see the front door I feel myself being pulled back and I feel a sharp pain on my thigh. I kick backwards frantically, hoping to make purchase with something and escape and I am rewarded with a dull thud before I am free to continue running again. When I finally make it through the front doors I am assaulted by the sudden blinding white light of the sun after the darkness of the hallways. I was standing in a giant field. It breeze smelled like a fresh spring day and I could hear birds singing softly in the trees some distance away. The sun warmed my arms and face and for a moment I felt at peace, but then remembering that I was being chased I turned to look back at the entrance to the school, but when I did it was gone. The wind carried the sound of giggling in the distance so I followed the noise and I found myself watching a girl with long blonde hair and a boy with light green eyes and sandy blonde hair. They were both young children, running around in a meadow of wild flowers. I couldn't hear what they were saying, I could just hear the echo of children's laughter and the whispers of names. It felt like I was romping and playing with them, but all I could do was watch. After a while I could hear another echo coming from over a nearby hill and both children perked up at the sound and then they were running to what looked like a village. The village was full of huts and the children ran into one on the edge of the cluster, and right into the arms of a beautiful smiling woman with wavy long blonde hair. The woman spun the little girl in the air. Then another woman came out of the shadows of the hut. She was much older, face covered in wrinkles, but a lightness and gentleness shone through. She too had long hair, but it had long turned white with age. And she was speaking.

"Esther! Dear, the stew isn't yet ready and Mikael will return any minute with Finn"

"Yes mother, of course your right. Alright Rebeka and Henrik out, out, out! I need to finish dinner and you need to gather more wood!" I found myself smiling at the antics of the loving family, my eyes trailing over all of them until they finally rested on the oldest member. And her bright blue eyes were staring right at me. I felt a jolt, and suddenly I was awake. I sat up in bed gasping, sucking in breaths like I had just run a human mile, and I gasped again in surprise when Elijah came bursting through my bedroom door. He blurred to my side and ran his hands over my arms as his eyes roved over my body, clearly looking for some sort of injury. His eyes zeroed in on my bare thigh so I followed his gaze and saw a bit of dry blood on my thigh, and when I went to rub the area I saw that there was dry blood under my nails.

"What's wrong? What happened?" he asked

"Um… I'm fine. I just had a dream- at least I think it was a dream. I think I scratched myself" I said, still slightly panting, and I brought my hand to my forehead and was surprised to feel cool sweat coating my palm.

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked with a furrowed brow

"It was different… it was like I could feel everything going on. And I can remember everything that happened"

"Do you think it was a memory?"

"I don't think it was _my_ memory" I said, lifting my gaze to meet his as I emphasized the word

"Then, who- Oh, a memory of mine?" he asked, not looking too pleased.

"Yea…" I went on to describe the dream to him, "and at the end there was this older woman with long white hair, and these like piercing blue eyes, and it was almost like she could see me"

"See you?"

"Yea. Everyone else in the dream seemed like they didn't know I was there, and I was just observing, but this one woman looked directly at me."

"Describe her"

"She was dressed in a light brown and pinkish dress, and it was long and corseted, like old fashioned. She was also old, older than the other blonder woman in the dream, and she had very long white hair. She was also talking to someone named Esther, and I'm pretty sure I heard the names Rebekah, Henrik and Finn" and as I continued to speak I saw Elijah's face drain of color, "So it really was your sister in my dream?"

"Not just Rebecca…"

"Who were the others?"

"My oldest brother Finn and my youngest brother Henrik…" he started to say, but his voice trailed off.

"I didn't know you had another brother" I say in surprise, trying to rack my brain to remember any one of the Originals mentioning that name, but I couldn't.

"He died, when we were all still human. It's the reason the Original Witch made us into Vampires, to protect us"

"Vampirism was created as a protection? I thought it was created by the sun and moon curse?"

"Niklaus and I fabricated the sun and moon curse in order to more easily discover the moonstone and Doppelgänger"

"Elena told me a little bit about that, but I still always thought of it as a curse"

"That's because you were turned against your will"

"Yea, psychotic bitch…" I spat out, still bitter about having my life cut short as a message to others, as if I was nothing.

"She wasn't always" he murmured, so quietly I almost didn't hear him over my whirl of thoughts, but I could detect something in his voice that sounded suspiciously like affection. A white hot streak of jealousy shot through me at his tone.

"Sorry, didn't mean to insult your ex-girlfriend" I said as I scooted away from him and off the bed. I threw on a sweatshirt over my tank top, turned on the lamp on my side table, and perched myself on the far side of the bed.

"Caroline I didn't mean anything by my comment. I swear I don't think of her like that anymore" he tried to assure me, reaching across the bed to lay a hand on my knee. "My love for her died the minute my love for you began"

"It's not even me you love Elijah!" I find myself shouting back, jumping to my feet again and away from his comforting touch.

"Of course I do Caroline" he tried to assure me, also getting to his feet.

"No you don't! You love the girl you met in 1504, and I AM NOT THAT GIRL! I barely remember anything from my past life- if that's even what you can call it, and these feelings that I have are just like aftershocks or something of what she felt"

"And what feelings would those be?" Elijah said, his voice low as he slowly walked around the bed toward me.

"Out of all of that, that's all you heard?" I asked incredulously, trying to ignore the hammering of my heart.

"No, but I was prioritizing for a moment"

"Well you need to reprioritize, because we are not going there tonight" I said, pointing my finger at him to make my point.

"Fair enough" he said, holding his hands up in surrender, "then what should we be focusing on? Katherine Peirce or your dream?" he asked. Inside my head I was screaming that I wanted to stay on the subject of Katherine and us, but I wasn't ready to delve into that deep of a well with him yet, so I went with the safer and more productive option.

"The dream"

"Very well, what would you like to know?"

"Well I know that some of your siblings were in my dream as human children, so who was the blonde woman?"

"As you may have already guessed, the blonde woman named Esther was my mother" he said simply, and I wasn't all that surprised since she had acted like a mother in the dream.

"And Henrik died when you were all still human?"

"Yes"

"How old were all of you?"

"Finn was 28, I was 26, Niklaus was 23, Kol was 21, Rebeka 19 and Henrik was 14" he said matter-of-factly, and I found that I was a bit shocked to realize how old Elijah was. I had never considered it before, but obviously he had to have been turned at a certain age, but he had always seemed ageless to me. Knowing he was 26 made him almost human to me… But then another question crept into my head and I couldn't believe I didn't think about it earlier.

"So then who was the older woman speaking with your mother? I have the strangest feeling that I've seen her before" I admitted, feeling the sensation settle into my gut.

"From what you've described to me, I think the older woman in your dream, the one that could see you, was my Grandmother"

* * *

 **I'm sorry that I'm a few days late! I tried to upload this chapter Saturday morning but I kept getting an error message, I wasn't at home yesterday to upload it so Monday it is!**


	25. Messages

"Our Grandmother?" Rebekah asked incredulously, and I nodded. We were sitting outside for lunch today, not wanting to be overheard by Tyler or Elena. They had been unusually quiet the last few weeks and it had been nice but at the same time I was beginning to feel uneasy. Stefan assured us that Damon wasn't up to anything that he could think of, but that did little to reassure me because I knew how he operated.

"That's what Elijah said" I shrugged and took another bite of my pizza, pushing Damon and Elena from my mind.

"That's remarkable…"

"Why?"

"Because she disappeared the night that we became vampires… we always assumed she got swept up in the chaos or ran away or something… but now I'm not sure"

"You think she did something?"

"Well she was a really powerful witch, just like my mother"

"Elijah told me a little about her"

"Our mother or grandmother?"

"Both, we talked a lot about both of them last night… I don't know but there was something about your grandmother that looked really familiar"

"Maybe you've dreamed about her before"

"Maybe. Sometimes I have trouble remembering details of my dreams, mostly I just remember feelings" I say with a shrug and Rebekah nodded before taking a bite out of her apple. I saw Bonnie over Rebekah's shoulder and smiled as she approached us.

"Hey Bon"

"Hey guys… any reason you're sitting out in the cold?" she said with a shiver, huddling down into her wool sweater as she perched on the seat next to me.

"Didn't want to be overheard by the supernatural population"

"Why?"

"Because the herbs that Elijah got for me from New Orleans aren't helping me regain my memories, they made me see one of his"

"Really?" Bonnie asked, sounding surprised

"Yea. A memory of his from when we were human" Rebekah chimed in and Bonnie stood from her seat and started to pace in front of us, lost in thought. Rebekah and I looked at each other in confusion before turning back to watch Bonnie in silence for a few minutes, giving her space to think.

"So this is fun Bon, but if you'd like to share those thoughts swirling in your head I'd be all ears" Rebekah said with a huff

"The herbs that Elijah requested were designed to tap into the blood magic that flows through Caroline's veins. I don't see how that magic could have tapped into Elijah's life-force…" Bonnie replied, looking over at Rebekah as she continued to pace absentmindedly.

"Could it have been redirected somehow?" Rebekah asked, jumping to her feet to stand in front of Bonnie

"If Caroline's blood had been combined with Elijah's for the spell she would have seen his vampire memories, not his human ones" Bonnie replied

"Then what could it be?" Rebekah asked, both of them still completely ignoring me as I sat staring up at them.

"They must be linked somehow"

"Linked?" I asked quietly, trying to take it all in.

"Yea. But I don't know of any spells that can link like that" Bonnie admitted, "I'll check out my grimoire and see what I can find"

"Okay…" Rebekah agreed, "I bet I can convince Klaus to let you look at my mother's grimoire too" Rebekah said as she sat down again.

"Klaus has your mother's spell book?" Bonnie exclaimed, "I could have looked through it months ago to help figure out what's going on with Caroline!"

"Klaus said there wasn't anything in there specifically about reincarnation or rebirth… or whatever she is"

"SHE is right here!" I huffed, not liking the two of them talking over me.

"Right. Sorry Care" Bonnie smiled and took the seat next to me again. The three of us sat in silence for a little while, all lost in our own thoughts, until the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

"Hey are you guys coming over tonight to study?" Rebekah asked as the three of us got to our feet

"Will Kol be there?" Bonnie asked pointedly as she shrugged on her bag and picked up her tray.

"Well he does live there" Rebekah smirked, and I grinned as the two started bickering as I followed them back into the cafeteria. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I fished it out after dumping my tray. I recognized the number that popped up as the same one that texted last night, and when I opened it my blood ran cold.

 **(978)726-0714** : Pretending to be a member of the Mikaelson family is a good way to get killed

I opened my mouth to get Rebekah's attention and show her the text, but I paused. Rebekah would make a big deal out of it and insist that we tell Elijah, and with everything else going on I didn't want to add to it. So I just decided to reply and be done with it.

 **Me** : fuck off

I decided to make it short, not so sweet, and to the point… and there was no immediate response.

"Texting Elijah?" Rebekah asked in a teasing voice, looking over my shoulder to peek, so I quickly clicked it off and chuckled.

"Yea, you caught me" I lied, and I joined in the bickering as we settled into our seats for class. I was able to put the texts out of my mind for the next three class periods, until it buzzed in my pocket again.

 **(978)726-0714** : Such language from the daughter of a Baron…

Reading that last message still sends a chill down my spine. How could this unknown sender possibly know about my past life? Unless they are connected to the Mikaelson family somehow or I knew them from 1504. I sat there staring down at the phone in my lap as I debate whether to tell Rebekah about this latest text. I didn't say anything to Elijah the last time this number texted me, but then again it hadn't been this blatant either. I sit lower in my chair, weighing the pros and cons in my head over the dull drone of the teacher in front of the room. After a while I decide to stay with my original decision about not telling Elijah, at least not yet.

* * *

One month and four texts later, I still haven't told Elijah about the text messages. I stopped responding to them after that day outside at school, but they have gotten progressively worse.

 **(978)726-0714** : Your neck will look beautiful stained red with your blood

 **(978)726-0714** : Should I stake you through the heart or simply rip it from your chest?

 **(978)726-0714** : The taste of your blood will be worth the wait

 **(978)726-0714** : I will relish the slowness of your death

I find myself scrolling through the messages over and over, dreading the day that a new message will pop up. The only time when I'm not thinking about those text messages is when I'm sparing with Elijah. We picked up our training sessions again after we were sure the herbs didn't affect me physically, and they had become a source of stress relief for me as much as an excuse to spend alone time with Elijah.

"Keep your hands up Caroline, like this" Elijah instructed, showing me the proper technique before striking at me again. I was able to block his blow ten minutes later, which earned me a rare smile from my drill sergeant.

"Excellent Caroline. Your becoming very quick indeed" he praised me, and I couldn't help the warm feeling in my chest at the compliment. I had thought that spending all of this alone time with Elijah would dull the excitement that I felt around him, but it only seemed to heighten it. And despite the palpable tension that I felt around him, it didn't seem to affect him like it did me. The snow started to fall as we were sparring today and when the snow turned to rain Elijah and I became covered in mud and soaked to the bone.

"Shall we go back inside? I am told that Rebekah is attempting to make dinner tonight" Elijah smiled as he helped me to my feet after knocking me to the ground.

"Are you trying to entice me or scare me away?" I joked and he laughed

"I do not know what spurred on this domestic streak, but it should prove interesting"

"Oh a Mikaelson family dinner, sponsored by Rebekah and her cooking, interesting is putting it mildly" I respond as we make our way back up to the house from our clearing in the trees.

We removed our muddy shoes when we got to the back door, at Rebekah's insistence, and then went our separate ways to shower and change. As I was rinsing the conditioner out of my hair the smell of burning food reached me and I chuckled as I heard Rebekah screaming at Kol for turning the fire on the stove too high. I couldn't shake the happy feelings of peace that washed over me as I brushed out my wet hair and listened to the sounds of bickering that only intensified when I heard Klaus make his way to the kitchen.

"Would the two of you please cease your incessant arguing for more than five minutes?" I heard Klaus shout, which only served to egg on another round of shouting from the other two. I threw my damp hair into a French braid and shrugged on a black long sleeve shirt with my skinny jeans and headed downstairs into the chaos.

"Hey hey hey! Klaus, do you really want to start a family dinner with your hand around Kol's throat?" I said as I entered the kitchen and saw what looked to be the beginning of a brawl.

"As a matter of fact love I-" Klaus turned to me with a smirk behind his words until he looked over my shoulder

"Niklaus… please remove your hand from our brothers throat this instant" I heard Elijah say from behind me.

"But Elijah I-" Klaus started to object, annoyance clear in his features.

"Our sister has worked for hours to prepare this meal for us and I won't have you ruining it with your antics"

"Not that he isn't doing his very best to do just that" Rebekah piped up from her spot at the stove, her back turned to the chaos behind her.

"Very well" Klaus said after a pause, pushing Kol away from him, and Kol fell away sputtering and massaging his neck. I stepped in between the feuding brothers to offer to help Rebekah and see if I could salvage anything. It looked like she was trying to make chicken Marsala with risotto and asparagus, but the risotto was burned to the bottom of the pan in a gooey glob and the asparagus was sitting in a pot of boiling water instead of a frying pan. I gently infiltrated myself with Rebekah's methods and convinced her to go with a much easier penne and I showed her how to properly prepare asparagus. Luckily the chicken had been simmering in the wine sauce on the stove and hadn't met a fiery end.

"What time are Bonnie and Stefan supposed to get here?" I asked Rebekah as we worked side by side.

"I told them seven" she answered, and I glanced at the clock on the wall and it read 6:55.

"Well they should be here any minute then"

"KOL! ELIJAH!" Rebekah screamed up at the ceiling and I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise

"A little warning! Fuck Rebekah, you scared the crap out of me!" I said panting, trying to catch my breath

"You need to develop a thicker skin around this family Care" she grinned, and then turned when the brothers entered the kitchen, "Good, go and set the table for seven please" Rebekah ordered before turning back to the stove. I caught Elijah's eye over my shoulder and smiled as he winked at me and set to doing Rebekah's bidding. Before Rebekah and I could start ladling the food onto serving dishes the doorbell rang. I headed for the door but I was beaten to it by a blurring Kol, who opened the door with a seductive smirk. Bonnie stood in the doorway with Stefan and without saying a word she rolled her eyes and swept past him. Stefan stood there uncomfortably and just handed Kol a bottle of wine that he had brought and followed Bonnie into the house. Bonnie immediately joined us in the kitchen and we put her to work ladling the remaining food into dishes, and Kol came in to help us carry them out into the dining room. I had never seen this room put to full use before, and the effect was impressive. It was a big oval room, dominated by a huge dark mahogany dining table with enough seats for twelve, and hanging above the table was a huge chandelier glittering with crystals.

"This actually smells palatable sister" Kol said as he placed the basket of rolls on the table and reached for a bottle of red wine before taking his seat.

"I am sure it is all delicious Rebekah" Elijah said as he came up beside me to take one of the food dishes from me and set it on the table. He pulled a chair out for me and then took the one beside me. Kol quickly jumped up from his own chair and blurred next to Bonnie, he pulled a chair out for her, and she sat with another eye roll. I caught Elijah's eye and saw that he was smirking at Kol copying his gentlemanly manners and I stifled a chuckle and looked away.

Surprisingly dinner was very fun and ended without Kol being daggered. There was a lot of laughter, even from Klaus, and the wine flowed freely and everyone profusely complimented Rebekah's cooking skills. At the end of the meal Rebekah got up to start clearing the plates and Bonnie and I jumped up to help her. We all grabbed empty plates and wine glasses and Rebekah instructed the men to carry the rest into the kitchen for us to clean.

"You'd think any of them would offer to clean for us after I slaved away all day, but no… they just carry the dirty dishes in and disappear" Rebekah complained

"Have you ever seen Stefan wash anything? It's not a pretty sight" Bonnie laughed and I joined her, remembering the disaster I witnessed after asking him for help cleaning up after a dance at the school.

"He starts cleaning one thing, and then moves on from one thing to another without ever really finishing a task. It's more work just chasing him around finishing his work" and now Rebekah is joining in with the laughter.

"You should see Elijah clean. He looks like it physically pains him to touch anything unclean" Rebekah says and the three of us burst into laughter again, perfectly picturing the tidy Elijah with his hands dirty.

"Cleanliness is next to godliness Rebekah, did no one ever teach you that?" I heard Elijah's voice say from behind us, and I turn to see him leaning against the far wall of the kitchen. I grin over at him and he pushes off the wall to walk over to me. He's unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal his strong forearms and my mouth goes a bit dry.

"Caroline?" he asks, his eyebrows raised.

"Huh? I'm sorry I didn't hear you" I say, blushing a bit.

"More like you were fantasizing" Rebekah murmured under her breath so I splashed her with soapy water before turning back to Elijah.

"I asked if you would like for me to dry the dishes."

"Sure, that would be great" I smiled and started to hand him the wet dishes I had just cleaned. We worked side by side, arms brushing each other occasionally as we did, and then we were all laughing again as we traded stories. When we were almost done I heard my phone vibrating on the island behind us.

"Could you get that for me? It's probably my mom" I ask Elijah, gesturing to my wet and soapy hands.

"Certainly" he nods. I turn back to Bonnie to listen to the story she was telling about her Grams and Rebekah and I are laughing along until we see Bonnie looking strangely at something behind us and her story trails off into silence.

"Elijah? What's the matter?" Bonnie asked, sliding off the counter. I spun around to see Elijah's vampire features disappearing, but a look of fury overtook them, and my blood ran cold when I realized my phone was still in his hand.

"Caroline…" he starts quietly, his tone barely concealing his rage, "Why haven't you told me about these messages?"


	26. Change of Scenery

"Could you get that for me? It's probably my mom" Caroline asked me, chuckling as she held up her wet and soapy hands.

"Certainly" I nod in response, drying my hands on the towel and turning to Caroline's phone on the counter behind us. I saw that it was not a phone call from Caroline's mother, it was a text from someone that Caroline had not saved to her contact list. I swiped her home screen to the right, unlocking it to read the message to Caroline, but what I read sent a white hot fury through me.

 **(978)726-0714** : I will make him watch as I tear you limb from limb

I scrolled through the previous messages and my rage intensified, and I realized when I caught Bonnie's startled eye that my vampire features must have taken over.

"Elijah? What's the matter?" she asked as she slid off of her perch on the counter where she had been drying Rebekah's dishes and telling a story. I took a steadying breath to get my features under control as Caroline and Rebekah spun around to look at me. I focused my attention on Caroline and I saw that her face paled when she saw my expression and the phone in my hand.

"Caroline… Why haven't you told me about these messages?" I asked her, trying to get my rage under control. Her mouth opened as if to answer but no words came out for a few seconds until she swallowed hard.

"Elijah… I- I wanted to-"

"You wanted to what? Wait until you were kidnapped and killed again before bothering to tell me" I yelled at her, feeling gratified when she jumped in surprise.

"Elijah…" Rebekah started to say, her tone cautious as she approached me, rubbing her wet hands on her apron before reaching for the phone in my hand. I handed it over, my gaze never leaving Caroline's even as I heard Klaus, Kol and Stefan enter the kitchen in silence. Rebekah scrolled through the messages in silence before she walked across the kitchen to hand the phone to Niklaus.

"Caroline what were you thinking?" Rebekah asked her quietly when she turned around again.

"I don't know…" she replied, her eyes dropping from mine to stare down at the floor and I growled a bit at her lack of an answer.

"That's not helping" Rebekah murmured to me

"What's not helping is having a rogue liability that doesn't see fit to report a threat" Niklaus chimed in from behind me, and I was surprised at the anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry! At first I thought that they were a prank and then there were too many of them and… I don't know, we have so much going on that I didn't want to add to it" Caroline finally spoke up, her words as defiant as her tone. Clearly Caroline has the same sense of self-preservation in this life as she did in the past, she would need to be watched and protected at all times. I thought through the possible repercussions of my plan and the barriers I would face, mainly her mother, and I worked it out in my head as Caroline was still being chastised by our friends and family. As she tried to defend herself against the scolding and disappointments of her friends her eyes kept flashing back to mine, and I knew that she was searching my expression for a clue as to my thoughts, but I wouldn't give it to her. When I felt like she had been through enough I finally pushed away from the counter and walked up to Caroline.

"Come with me" I told her simply, and her eyes flashed to mine immediately

"Why?"

"Now, Caroline" I told her calmly, but I knew my expression left no room for argument. She nodded and I guided her out of the kitchen with my hand on her lower back, and she ducked her head when we walked between Niklaus and Kol and out of the kitchen, probably to avoid their disapproving stares.

"Wait! Where are you taking her?" Stefan called from behind us, and I turned and saw his head sticking around the corner.

"I am taking her home" I answered him and he nodded before his head disappeared from view. Caroline remained uncharacteristically silent as I handed her coat to her and we made our way to my car. But she finally spoke up as we pulled away.

"Oh wait! I drove here Elijah" she said suddenly, as if snapping out of a fog.

"I am aware"

"Look Elijah, I really am sorry about the texts. I thought that I could handle it on my own-"

"That will no longer be an issue" I interrupted her, taking a sharp turn fast, causing Caroline to sway toward me.

"What does that mean?" she asked, her spunk starting to return to her voice. I was about to answer her when I realized we were two streets away from her house, and I thought a demonstration would be more in order than an explanation. I silently pulled into Caroline's driveway next to the sheriffs cop car, pleased to see that she was home. After turning the car off I get out and blur to Caroline's side to open the door for her, and then lead her to the front door. I gave the door a quick knock but turned the nob and entered without waiting for a reply. We found the sheriff sitting on the couch in the living room covered in a blanket and reading a worn out book. She looked up startled and lowered the book to her lap, and she looked over the rim of her reading glasses at me.

"Mrs. Forbes I apologize for the unannounced visit" I say formerly with a nod. She turned down the corner of the page in her book and swung her blanket covered legs to the side so she was sitting up.

"Um… that's alright Elijah. What's going on?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes flashing between me and Caroline.

"Caroline is going to go to her room and pack her things to temporarily move into the manor" I said simply and Caroline's head whipped around to stare at me.

"What?" Caroline and her mother said in unison, but I simply gestured with my head for Caroline to go to her room to pack her things. She looked at me indignantly for a moment before resolve entered her eyes and she turned to head to her room. Once she was gone I turned back to the sheriff, although I knew Caroline would be listening,

"For the past few weeks Caroline has been receiving threatening messages from someone that knows about her past with my family. Her life is in danger" I explained and the sheriff got to her feet and approached me, holding out her hand.

"Show me the messages" and she scrolled through the threats in silence as I held my breath. Moving Caroline into the manor was the safest option I could think of, and it would be much easier to have her mother as an ally.

"I'm not surprised she didn't tell anyone" her mother said quietly as she handed the phone back to me, a sad smile on her lips.

"I don't understand why she didn't trust me enough" I told her mother, my quiet tone matching hers and I tried to keep the hurt from my voice.

"It's not about trust Elijah… Caroline has had a very hard few years. People she loved have turned on her. She has learned to handle things on her own" her mother tried to explain, and it did make sense from what I knew of Caroline's past in this life. I knew that her father had abandoned her and her mother when she was an adolescent only to come back last year to torture her. A certain past encounter with Damon Salvatore had also been alluded to but I had been unable to get the full story.

"I know she has been through a lot, and it's not fair to make her go through any more but-"

"You have as much choice in this situation as Caroline does" her mother said, and her gentle tone surprised me.

"I feel as though I am pushing her into something she isn't ready for a lot of the time" I admitted, lowering my tone and hoping Caroline wasn't really listening.

"I've never claimed to know anything about your species or magic, but something tells me that this is the time that everything is supposed to happen. You were in Mystic Falls months ago and your path never crossed with Caroline's" she pointed out.

"You think this is all part of someone else's plan?"

"I don't know," she chuckled, "but from the minute that Caroline was born I knew that she was meant for bigger things than this small town life. It took Bill and me a long time to conceive a baby and we lost a few before Caroline came along, she was almost like a magical gift… but look at me blubbering! I'm going to go see if Caroline needs any help packing, make yourself at home Elijah" she gestured to the couch behind her and strode from the room abruptly, and it looked as though she was wiping at something in the corner of her eye as she did. I would need to make a point of having more conversations with Elizabeth Forbes in the future, especially now that she seemed to be an ally, and a talkative one at that.

* * *

 _I don't understand why she didn't trust me enough_ … his words kept echoing in my ear as I absentmindedly rifled through my sock drawer. I had lost control of the situation very quickly and I felt a sense of restlessness and panic begin to settle in me. I didn't like change, and I definitely didn't like hurting the people that I cared about. I knew that all of the Mikaelson's were disappointed in me, especially Klaus, and it was an uncomfortable feeling. But to hear Elijah admit that to my mother, especially with the pain so clear in his voice, had ripped me apart. Elijah has always seemed like a Greek statue when it comes to emotions, so it was startling to hear him admit that he wasn't so unaffected by me. But I knew from the reactions of my friends to the text messages that I had seriously underestimated the danger behind them. The truth of their threat started to sink in as I sat down on the corner of my bed, folding and refolding my blue sweatshirt. I think that keeping the messages to myself helped me to delude myself into thinking they were a prank or not as serious as they clearly were. That false sense of security I had wrapped myself in was now gone and I didn't like it one bit. I felt raw and exposed… and I felt embarrassed at being chastised by Elijah and his family and I was now being treated like an errant child who needed to be monitored. I continued to be lost in thought until I heard my mother say my name and then I could hear her footsteps coming down the hallway toward my room. Before I could really gather any clothes or supplies to make it look like I had been working, she walked into the room and surveyed the usually messiness.

"I see you have been hard at work" she said with a disapproving look, but her burgeoning grin ruined the stern effect.

"Sorry… I was a little lost in thought" I said, "And I don't really know where to start" I admitted.

"We start with getting your big suitcase and loading it up with all of your jeans, sweatshirts and shoes. Then we find your red canvas bag and pack your shirts and dresses, and your blue canvas bag for your other clothes essentials."

"Wow…"

"Now I'll start with your jeans and sweatshirts and you go pack up what you'll need from your bathroom" she said as she reached up to the top shelf of my closet and forced my giant suitcase down. I did as I was told and shook my head at the organizational force that was my mother. She couldn't remember to eat regular meals but she could take charge in a crisis, not matter how minor. I loaded up my hair essentials, makeup, soaps and perfumes and jewelry into my toiletry bag and went back into my room to help my mom, and monitor the things my mother thought I would need. We worked in companionable silence, only broken by the occasion question if I would bring a particular item of clothing, and all too soon we were done. My mom brought down my red canvas bag and my body pillow and we called Elijah up to bring down my giant suitcase and as I was looking over my room one last time I noticed the corner of something red sticking out of my bottom drawer. I tugged at the silky material and out slithered a dark red silk and lace teddy that I had ordered on a whim last month. After a split second thought I threw the red contraption into my last bag and hurried down after Elijah and my mother. The icy air created a fog from the car exhaust and from our combined breath as we loaded Elijah's car with my belongings. When the trunk finally slammed shut my mother turned to me a bit teary eyed.

"I expect a phone call or a text every day young lady" she said as she enveloped me in a hug. Over her shoulder and through her cornflower curls I could see my house. I had been born into this house. I had scraped my knee more times than I could count out in front playing. I lost my first tooth in this house, had my first sleepover and lost my virginity all within those walls. I blinked back tears as my mother's scent enveloped me with her hug and I knew in that moment that I wouldn't be living in this house again. This was the house of my childhood, of my past, and no matter what happened I wouldn't be able to live here again as the same person I am leaving it. I was either going to gain all of my memories back and save the Vampire species and live happily ever after, or I was going to die trying…

I waved goodbye to my mom as we backed out of the driveway, and I continued to wave as we disappeared down the street. The blackness of night swallowed us up as we drove back to the Mikaelson mansion, and suddenly a thought occurred to me.

"Do your siblings know that I'm coming to stay?"

"I texted Rebekah to prepare the room next to hers for you and I am sure she informed Niklaus and Kol"

"Hmm"

"I know that this is not how you expected the day to end Caroline but I cannot-"

"I understand Elijah. I messed up and it could have turned out a lot more dangerous if it didn't come out"

"If you had been honest from the very first message then there would be no need for this change of residence, but you've proved to have a less than ideal sense of self-preservation" and I had to chuckle at his meaning. "Have I said something funny?" he asked, and he seemed a bit irritated by my amusement.

"My sense of self-preservation stems from an absent and torturous father, an absent but well-meaning mother and growing up with friends that always put me second to the wonderful Elena Gilbert. I have learned to try and put myself second and when I can't then I try and solve my problems on my own" as I spoke I could almost see the white hot truth spill out of me at finally admitting what I had been feeling for years, "And you can't just barge into my life and think that I will magically change who I am because of some mystical bond between us Elijah Mikaelson" I told him, crossing my arms with a _humph_ for added effect.

"Fair point, well made, Caroline Forbes" Elijah said after a minute, a grin visible on his face as he teased me, completely melting the irritation that had built up with my little speech. We pulled onto his street and there was silence as he pulled into the driveway, but that silence was broken by a very excited Rebekah squealing and running out of the front door.

"We're going to be housemates Caroline!" Rebekah gushed excitedly and I had to smile at her enthusiasm.

"I know, apparently I need to be kept under lock and key for one mistake" I said teasingly, shooting a look at Elijah as he pulled my suitcase out of the trunk.

"The next time one of us ignores a series of death threats you may decide how they are punished Caroline" Elijah replied, his tone matching mine, and Rebekah burst out laughing.

"The two of you living under one roof should be very interesting" she grinned as she reached for my red canvas bag and threw it over shoulder.

"What? Why?" I asked, slinging my blue bag over my shoulder and carrying my pillow in the other hand while Elijah brought up the rear carrying my suitcase.

"Because I could cut the tension between you two with a knife" came the reply as she pushed open the front door and we followed behind her. She led the way up the stairs and down the hall to the room that I would occupy and I was pleasantly surprised by the décor. The walls were a beautiful sky blue that matched the blue pattern on the cream colored comforter on the king sized bed. There was a cream colored area rug under the bed that matched the curtains, and I could tell from the slightly opened door that the ensuite bathroom followed the same color palette.

"What do you think?" Rebekah asked and I smiled over at her and Elijah, who was also looking at me with the question in his eyes.

"It's beautiful. Thank you" and they both seemed relieved.

"Come on. Drop your bag. I'm feeling like a sweet snack" Rebekah said and she pulled me from the room and back down the stairs into the kitchen.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked her as I took a seat at the island and watched her rifle through the refrigerator and freezer.

"Ice cream sundaes" she said as she spun around holding four different cartons of ice cream

"Perfect!" I said, and I realized that it actually did sound like the perfect way to begin my first night in a new home. We spent over 10 minutes building the perfect ice cream sundaes, melting the chocolate and caramel sauces and thinking of all different toppings, and then helping Kol with his sundae when he came in. We all made our way to the living room and settled down into the couches to watch a show on the CW network as we devoured our ice cream. I thought I detected the faint sound of a banging somewhere in the house, but it didn't seem to bother Rebekah or Kol so I put it from my mind. When the last vestiges of ice cream had disappeared and the ending credits rolled on the screen we decided to call it a night. Kol tried to hand me his empty bowl to clean and I quickly put him in his place about not being his maid. He begrudgingly headed into the kitchen with us to rinse his own bowl and I pinched his cheek teasingly after he put it into the dishwasher all by himself. He walked away muttering something foul as his ears turned red in embarrassment. Chuckling, Rebekah and I made our way back upstairs and into our rooms. I started to unpack all of my clothes and either hang things up or fold them into he drawers and it wasn't until I was almost done that I realized something was different about the room. I looked more closely at the wall to the right of the bed and I gasped when I realized what was now hanging from my wall… it was the painting that 1504 me had made for Elijah for his birthday. It was a beautiful painting, not to brag, depicting a dramatic cliff at sunset. That cliff seemed so familiar and it filled me with a sense of peace just to stare at it, and I knew now what the banging I had heard earlier had been. Elijah had hung the picture in my room for me while I was downstairs. I took a big breath and breathed out slowly, allowing that sense of peace from the picture to wash through me, and I knew that everything would be alright, at least for now.


	27. Girls Night?

**Long time no read! As my birthday comes to a close I thought that I would leave you guys with a little present, a teaser chapter! I have the next 4 written but I want to get at least 15 chapters ahead and then start posting them weekly. Thank you to everyone that has stood by me during this process and who have been so understanding of my busy school schedule. Also a huge thank you to those that defended me against harsh reviews (or bizarre reviews...), the direct messages and reviews were much appreciated when I was feeling low.**

 **I guess there's nothing left to say except...**

 **Read. Review. Enjoy!**

* * *

I absentmindedly flipped through my history textbook, skimming through the chapter that I was supposed to be analyzing for a test tomorrow. But the names of famous white guys doing great things in years I didn't remember just didn't interest me. After two weeks in the Michaelson Manor the novelty had worn off and I was starting to feel a little restless. Elijah and I still sparred almost daily after I got home from school with Rebekah, and Bonnie sometimes came over to do homework with Rebekah and I after putting a temporary boundary spell around my room to keep Kol out. Kol himself was both a welcome and unwelcome distraction depending on the timing and Klaus, while not unpleasant or unkind, was never really around much. Similarly, when I wasn't sparring with Elijah he would occasionally join Rebekah, Kol and me for a meal, but otherwise he was shut in his study conducting business of some sort. I wasn't allowed out of the manor without an Original present, which usually meant Rebekah, and I was really missing my freedom, especially when I was so physically close to Elijah but felt like a world away. This distance between Elijah and I was only made worse by the fact that I continued to dream of him every night. I would dream of him and his family as humans every night, and seeing him as such a carefree and happy boy was such a stark contrast to the straight-laced business mogul that skulked around the house now. I didn't know what else I could-

"Are you hungry?" a voice asked from the door, and I jumped in surprise. I looked up to see Kol leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed.

"Umm… yea I guess I am" I said absentmindedly, trying to get back into the moment and out of my own head.

"Good let's make some dinner then" he said with a smirk, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Having been daggered for so many years he was making up lost time by enjoying all the human food he could get his hands on, as well as his brother's ample supply of liquor. I shook my head and got to my feet, knowing full well that ' _let's make dinner'_ meant ' _let me watch you make me dinner'_. I followed him downstairs and rifled through the fridge and cabinets as Kol sat at the island and watched me, and then what I saw in the last cabinet gave me an idea.

"Kol, have you ever had macaroni and cheese?" I asked as I popped my head back up.

"No… I'm not sure that I've never heard of it" he answered and I grinned in response. I wrestled a big pot out of the lower cabinets and filled it with water to boil.

"Ok Kol I need you to go get me a bottle of Moscato from Klaus's store and that big yellow bowl from the top shelf there" I said, gesturing with my chin while I rifled in the freezer for the pack of hotdogs I was surprised to find 3 days ago. Rebekah said that Klaus went through a hotdog phase a few years ago and always kept a package in the house now, at which I obviously grinned. Kol came back upstairs with the bottle of wine, his confusion clear.

"Is this for some sort of wine sauce?" Kol asked, "I thought you said something about cheese"

"This wine is for me to drink while I make you dinner" I assured him and he looked relieved. He popped the cork for me and I poured myself a generous glass, savoring my first sip of the icy sweetness. I never been much of wine drinker before, but then I never had Klaus's stash at my disposal before either.

"Alright Kol, if you want to eat then you have to work" I decided after taking another big sip of wine. He groaned in response and he opened to his mouth to protest but I beat him to it. "Kol, what if this turns out to be your favorite meal ever? What are you going to do if you want it again and I'm not here?"

"Order it at a restaurant?"

"And what it is called again?" I asked, and that wiped the grin from his face.

"Umm… It's a pasta with a cheese sauce…? Right?"

"Okay, and what are these called?" I held up the package of hotdogs with the label facing away from him.

"Oh I don't bloody know woman! Fine, make me do servants work for my meal then!" he relented, and even though he seemed angry I knew that he wasn't. I knew that Kol needed to be challenged every once in a while and I think that he secretly appreciated it. I took out a frying pan and set the stove to a medium flame and then lined the frozen hot dogs out onto the pan.

"Okay, your job is just to turn these every 2 minutes or so until they are done cooking" I said as I handed him a pair of tongs.

"Easy enough" he mumbled as he clanked the tongs together a few times. Since the water had started to boil I opened the package of macaroni and dumped it into the pot.

"So when the water starts to bubble like this that means that it is boiling. This is when you put the macaroni in, never before"

"Why?" he asked as he made his first rotation through flipping the hotdogs, and that is how our cooking lessons started. Every night for the rest of the week I would teach Kol how to make a new and easy dish that I thought he would like. Rebekah joined us for the lesson twice, and miraculously there was minimal bickering and nobody got their neck snapped. Elijah joined us for dinner every night, probably drawn in by the idea of Kol cooking, and Klaus did once as well. I held my breath as Klaus took his first bite, and I had a feeling that Kol did the same.

"Very good brother. I see with Caroline's help we may yet have a chef in the family" Klaus smirked, but Kol had such a proud look on his face that I couldn't giggle. I could see how much Rebekah and Kol looked up to Klaus and Elijah, and I could also see how that was sometimes taken for granted. Being the older siblings that they are, I could see how they could get annoyed with Kol and Rebekah always asking them for opinions, but I don't think that Klaus and Elijah realized how often they looked for their younger siblings or called on them for a favor.

On Thursday of the next week I was sitting at the dining room table with Rebekah and Bonnie. What had started as a post dinner study session had turned into a margarita drinking complaining session. Rebekah was complaining about how Stefan was intermittently distant and affectionate, Bonnie was complaining about being stalked by Kol and her advanced placement class getting in the way of her witch practice, and I was trying very hard not to complain about Elijah when I knew he was probably upstairs in his study. After a while there was a lull in the conversation where we were each lost in thought. I could feel the slight buzz from the 2 margaritas swishing through my thoughts and I finally allowed Elijah to enter my thoughts. Ever since I was forcibly moved into the manor I hadn't been alone with him… At first I had been nervous that I would be alone with him all the time, or running into each other all the time, but living under the same roof had done little to increase our social interactions. Our sparring sessions had become sporadic and I feared that he was losing interest in his little pet project…

"Caroline?" Rebekah said, and I got the impression that this wasn't the first time she had called my name.

"What? Sorry Bex…"

"No problem Space Cadet…. Bonnie and I were just talking about how much we need a weekend away from all of the testosterone floating around us" Rebekah smirked, and I knew she was secretly proud of the space cadet comment.

"Ha ha very funny… and Elijah and Klaus would never let us out of their sight for an entire weekend" I argued, already imagining the argument that was sure to take place when Rebekah brought it up to them.

"Well it wouldn't have to be for an entire weekend. We could just leave Saturday morning, get to Richmond for noon, lunch and shopping and then we'll get ready to go out" Bonnie said, already pulling up google on her laptop and looking up clubs and restaurants in the area.

"And we can put the hotel room under a fake name and pay in cash, just in case my paranoid brothers are actually right about us being hunted" Rebekah suggested, "And Klaus and Elijah can track our phones"

"WHAT?" I said, trying to contain the indignation that was building up inside of me

"Well yea… I mean Caroline- you were kidnapped in 1504 and died. Most likely tortured… When Klaus broke your phone and Elijah got you the new one he made sure that it had GPS tracking in it" Rebekah answered, as if it were the most normal thing in the world… and to her it probably was. She had lived her entire life under the thumb of her older brothers, always being controlled by them and influenced by them, so being tracked by them was nothing new. I wasn't used to giving up control and my indignation was at war with my rational thoughts of safety at the moment; and then an idea hit. I snatched my phone off the table and typed a group message to Bonnie and Rebekah so that Elijah and Kol wouldn't hear my plan.

 **Caroline** : Bekah why don't we tell your brothers that we're spending the night at Bonnies since her father is out of town? We can even have Kol drive us over with all of our stuff.

 **Bonnie** : Genius!

 **Rebekah** : but what about the tracking in our phones?

 **Caroline** : we can leave our phones at Bonnies and just take hers to Richmond

 **Rebekah** : Idk…

 **Bonnie** : come on Bekah!

 **Rebekah** : Ugh fine. But I am putting full blame on the non-Original blonde when we get caught

 **Caroline** : we won't!

And thus a plan was born. We tipsily ran up the stairs to pick out clubbing dresses, communicating by texts and sign language signals the entire time, but we could do nothing to mask our giggles and excitement. Rebekah booked the hotel room in Richmond while Bonnie looked up different restaurants and clubs in the area. My eyes swept over my closet, noticing that Rebekah had again taken the liberty to shop for me, but for once I didn't care as my eyes landed on a particularly dress. It was very short, but the long sleeves and high neck were able to balance it out, and the black sequence elevated it from safe to sexy even more.

"I was hoping you would pick that one!" Rebekah said with a smile as she came up behind me

"And just when did I acquire this little number?" I teased her

"Oh I bought this one for you before you moved in. I've needed a girl's night for a while" she murmured.

"Trust me I know the feeling" I murmured back.

"Great so you two will look gorgeous but I don't have anything to wear that matches your dresses" Bonnie complained quietly under the base of the music we had turned up loudly in my room.

"Bonnie just wear one of my dresses. Rebekah keeps buying me so many I don't even know what I have"

"Caroline my boobs wouldn't even fill one of your cups" Bonnie fake whined before grinning

"Then we'll either need to go with a baby-doll dress or body-con dress…" Rebekah said, immediately getting to work with finding the right styles. After 5 minutes she had 7 different options laid out on the bed.

"She's a frightening woman" Bonnie mumbled to me and I giggled in return. We watched Bonnie try on all of the options and voted for a simple white baby-doll style dress with a jeweled neckline. Rebekah's choice was a dark red halter dress with giant black flowers dotting the fabric and an open back. We looked at the clock and realized how late it had gotten so Bonnie decided to head home and Rebekah went into her own room. I headed into the ensuite bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, excitedly thinking about our little rebellion. I dried my face as I came back into my bedroom but I shrieked when I saw Kol sitting on my bed waiting for me.

"What are you three plotting?" he asked suspiciously

"What do you mean?" I asked, desperately hoping that my deception skills had improved

"All the whispers and mumbles and then to see all these gorgeous little slips of fabric laid out on your bed…" he said as he gestured to the dresses I hadn't put away yet. Damnit.

"Rebekah has been buying me clothes behind my back and then slipping them into my closet so we deiced it would be fun to have a little fashion show" I replied, trying to think quickly while technically not lying.

"And I was not invited?"

"Absolutely not" I grinned at his outraged expression

"And during this fashion show… was there much changing in front of each other then?" he asked as he wiggled his eyebrows at me and I threw my damp towel at him and ordered him to get out of my room. He raised his hands in surrender and got up from the bed before I could get my hands on something heavier.

"I will find out what you girls are hiding" he warned me before ducking out of the room and closing the door behind hm. I chuckled at his determination but I was confident that there was no trail for him to find.

During the next day at school Bonnie, Bekah and I kept sending club and restaurant ideas to each other through the group chat as well as hair ideas and generally excited comments. Living in a small town and being controlled by a family of overprotective man-children was starting to take its toll on us and we were desperate for the freedom.

When Saturday morning finally rolled around I found myself wide awake at the ungodly hour of 7am. I tossed and turned for another 30 minutes but then decided to get up and shower. I spent longer than usual under the hot stream of water and allowed the giddy feeling of excitement to wash through me. I hadn't been excited about anything in a while and it felt good to finally have plans that didn't revolve around my past or witchcraft. I reached for the bottle of shower gel that Elijah had once said was pleasant, a ringing endorsement from him, and lathered the loofa. The rough texture of the loofa ran over my overheated skin, leaving a trail of suds down my arms and chest and then down my stomach as the water ran. I closed my eyes and thought I caught the faintest scent of Elijah breeze across my face. The woodsy and musk smell contrasted with the vanilla citrus of the shower gel and I imagined how it would feel to have him standing behind me in the shower. What he would do with his hands. With his lips. How his body would press against mine…

"Caroline! Come on! We need to leave for Bonnies in an hour" Rebekah shouted as she knocked on my bathroom door, immediately jarring me out of my day dream.

"O-Okay" I called back, cursing the breathlessness of my voice. As I listened to Rebekah's retreating footsteps I began to feel annoyed. I was annoyed at Rebekah for interrupting a perfectly good sex daydream and then I was annoyed with myself for having a sex daydream about a guy who didn't give me the time of day anymore. I should have been used to it. Guys were usually attracted to me but then when things started to heat up or they got to know me they always grew distant or just broke up with me. I quickly rinsed the soap from my body and the conditioner from my hair and got out of the shower, toweling off quickly and wrapping my hair in one. I walked out of the steamy bathroom and into my nice cool room to dress and pack. After I finished packing I went back into the bathroom to blow-dry my hair and pulled it back into a simple clip, knowing I would be doing my hair later. I met Rebekah as she was going down the stairs, her overnight bag in tow and winked conspiratorially at her. Kol was waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Why do you need to go over to Bonnie's so bloody early?" he complained

"Because we have a whole itinerary and we have to keep the schedule. Breakfast of pancakes and bacon. Morning of grimoire reading and witchcraft. Fast food lunch. Afternoon of finishing midterm projects. Either going out to dinner or takeout followed by a movie night with ice cream" Rebekah explained as we followed Kol to his car, her casual tone and reasonable explanation almost had me convinced that our plans had changed.

"You can do all of those things at the manor though"

"Yes but we can't do them without three broody Original men" I piped up as we threw our bags into the trunk

"Women…" I heard Kol grumble as he closed the driver's side door and Rebekah and I grinned. Rebekah walked around to get into the passenger seat and as I opened the back door I looked up at the manor and saw Elijah watching us from a window on the second floor. I gave him a cautious smile despite the thundering of my heart and quickly got into the car and closed the door.

After a few more comments and some half-assed attempts to get himself invited in Kol finally drove off, leaving Rebekah and I with Bonnie. We waited a solid 45 minutes, eating cereal and drinking coffee, before we felt it was safe to take off. Rebekah and I left our phones on Bonnies bed, filled our travel mugs with the rest of the coffee and after packing the car we were off. As we drove Rebekah kept reaching up into the front between Bonnie and I to change the radio station, and after the sixteenth radio change the song "Party in the USA" started to play and Rebekah turned the volume almost all the way up and starting belting along to the lyrics. I made eye contact with Bonnie and shrugged before both of us joined in. The next song, "Single Ladies" came on and again the sing along continued. Apparently Rebekah had stumbled upon a hot 2000's top playlist and none of us could complain as classic after classic came over the speakers, would have been very cliché if it hadn't actually been happening. By the time we got to Richmond our voices were raspy and our stomachs hurt from laughing. It was too early to check into the hotel so we decided to park and walk around until we found a café to have lunch. Decembers in Virginia are generally mild so Bonnie was perfectly comfortable in her light winter jacket as we walked around, and Rebekah and I weren't affected by the chill anyway. We found a corner café on Broad Street and sat down to lunch and drinks until it was time to check into the hotel. Rebekah had the idea to stop at a liquor store along the way and pick up a bottle of sparkling wine to sip while we got ready and as the sun began to set our excitement rose. We all piled into my room, the center of our interconnected rooms and began to unpack our club outfits and our makeup and hair supplies. I turned the radio up in the room and Rebekah popped the cork to the wine and poured the fancy liquid into very non-fancy red solo cups. Rebekah focused on doing Bonnie's hair while I curled my own and then I did Rebekah's nails while Bonnie did her own makeup in the brightly lit bathroom mirror. We didn't stop chatting the entire time that we got ready and nobody was in any rush. We ordered room service pizza at 9 and then when it was gone we finally got dressed and headed out into the night, slightly tipsy but ready to dance. Bonnie had found a dance club two blocks away from the hotel and when we arrived at 11 things were just picking up. The dance floor was half filled but the bar was at capacity. Rebekah compelled a passing waitress to come and see her every 30 minutes for refills and we had our first round before we even checked our coats. In my human life the biggest party I had ever been too had been Conner Coughlin's house party after the homecoming game my freshman year, and the smell of stale beer and too much Axe body spray couldn't compare to the sights and sounds of this Richmond club. I could feel the base of the music up my spine with every beat and the lights randomly highlighted different groups of dancers, swathing them in different colors each time. We found a small table at the edge of the dancefloor and stood around it sipping our drinks as we watched the other patrons.

"Well you three are far too beautiful to not have dates tonight" a male voice said to my right. I turned to see a very cute guy with blonde hair and blue eyes leaning in between Rebekah and I. He was very cute and tall with an adorable crooked smile but I was immediately turned off by a small rip on the shoulder of his grey t-shirt, his unbrushed floppy hair and his lack of a British accent.

"Sorry but its girl's night" Bonnie said with a sweet but dismissive smile

"So you're all free then?" the guy asked, and it was then that I detected the slur to his words and the stink of cheap vodka on his breath.

"Nope we have boyfriends and that one is engaged" I said and pointed to Bonnie, "Have a nice night though" I said, and the guy scoffed but put up his hands in surrender before turning and going to the next table over.

"Well I was originally flattered by the attention but I guess we were just the closest table" Rebekah said with a snort

"He wasn't my type" I said as I took a sip of my screwdriver

"Not British enough" I heard bonnie mutter into her glass and I threw her a look over the rim of mine. The dance floor was starting to pick up so we threw back the rest of our cocktails and joined in the fray. I lost myself in the beat of the music. With every beat of the base I swayed my hips and moved my feet and twirled around with my two best friends. True to the compulsion the waitress found Rebekah on the edge of the dancefloor and we got another round of drinks, and we were bemused to see how other dancers tried to get our waitresses attention but she made a beeline right to the bar to fulfill Rebekah's wishes. I'm not sure how long we stayed there dancing, it could have been one hour or five, but eventually I felt hands slide around my waist and a familiar and unwelcome scent enveloped me. I whirled around and was face to face with the frat boy from earlier.

"Hey baby, youuu d-dance so gooood" he slurred in my ear and then attempted to wink at me. It would have been hilarious if I wasn't so disgusted. I pushed his chest gently and shook my head no, but he didn't seem to take the hint. "Ohhh okay, you wannna go right back to my room then?" he asked as he took hold of my wrist. I smiled up at him and sweetly as I could, right before I took his wrist in my grip and I twisted it off of me, and I sprained it for good measure.

"No means no loser" I said as I released his wrist and he held it against his chest, "Now leave the club and go back to your room and sleep" I looked him straight in the eye and compelled him. I turned back to Rebekah and Bonnie and saw that they were both fighting to hold back their laughter, but at my exasperated expression they let it loose. I joined in their laughter and we continued to dance. Rebekah had just sent the waitress away with another order of drinks when I felt another pair of hands slide onto my hips. I looked up at Bonnie and Rebekah to see that their eyes were wide open and I turned around to order another scumbag to get lost, when I found myself face to face with Elijah Mikaelson.


End file.
